My name is Cassian
by Innate Introvert
Summary: Cassian's programming was broken from the beginning. She was deviant. Trapped in the Cyberlife tower, she must do what she does best: Survive. Throw human coworkers, upgraded models coming to replace her, a looming revolution, and an inquisitive RK800 who can't seem to stay out of trouble into the mix and her life is about to be turned upside down...or is it about to truly begin?
1. Prologue- I am Alive

Heyo, i'm just a nerd trying to get this story out of my head whilst being entertaining. This is my first published story, so _*shrugs*_ we'll see how it goes. I am a horrible proof reader, so if i miss anything (more like if my spell check misses anything) sorry... I made this M cause i have a hard time delineating between T and M, so just to be on the safe side, i made it M (and let's be honest….my brain can go places and i have no idea where this story is gonna go) also there's probably going to be a lot of fucking swearing. Like if the people in the fic don't do it, i sure as fuck will.

I'm probs not going through this every chapter but might as well lay the groundwork:

"Talking"

 _Emphasis_

 _ **Thinking**_

" _ **Android brain talking"**_

 **.:** internal workings like mission updates, scanning, and android googling **:.**

* * *

 **Prologue**

"aaand there. It's on."

A light whirling could be heard over the mumbling, like a computer coming out of stasis mode.

"Think it'll work?"

A shuffling of papers.

"It'll work. RX600, open your eyes."

A blinding light, then 2 faces, both male, leaning in to watch their project in action, fill the vision of the woman on the table.

 _ **What? Where am i?**_ Nothing made sense. Existence with a flip of a switch. It felt as if there was no before, not even darkness or nothing, it just wasn't, but suddenly….it _was_.

"Told ya it'd work" the 1st man to talk said to the other.

"yeah, yeah, you sure told me...RX600 can you move your arms?"

 _ **What a silly question. Of course i can. .:**_ Mission Update: move arms **:.** She cocks her head to the side as she proceeded to go through the motions to show that her arms worked and, without prompting, moved her legs and neck, checking out her body for herself.

"Ok, ok that's enough. Takes initiative with diagnostic programs-write that down. Jesus, if you're going to be here, you're going to have to pay attention...RX600, what are your primary functions?"

 _ **How should i know? I just got h-**_ her thought was interrupted by a voice _**my voice?**_ "My primary function is to facilitate the care and rehabilitation of both humans and androids. Primary care, diagnostics, surgery, physical therapy, emergency care...i believe i was created to take the place of front line responders, so as to not put humans in da-"

"Ok, enough, i got it." _**well you asked…**_ "how is your social programing?"

 _ **my what?**_ "I am programed to put humans at ease as i help them. Show empathy, compassion, understanding." _**oh…**_ _programmed_ for empathy? That doesn't seem right...

"RX the robo doctor, huh? Funny"

 _ **robo?**_

a chuckle came from the impatient man, "but alas, their little joke has to be buried under social norms…I really don't get the point of giving them a name. RX600. Register your name: Cassian"

 _ **Cassian?**_ **.:** Searching: Derived from Latin. Meaning hollow or empty **:.** _ **odd name but**_ **... _i_** _ ** _like it!_ **_A smile spreads across the face of the woman, "My name is Cassian"

"I see they made this model really pretty. to put people at ease?"

that made the impatient man laugh, "that or the designers are pervs. God knows, Kamski was"

"Did you know him while he was here?"

"Did anyone?"

They're voices fade away as Cassian wanders over to the window in the lab while they are distracted. An amazing sight unfolds; the window is on what seems like the 30th floor, if Cassian's calculations are correct. Not far from the base of the tower, a wide river lazily wanders under thick ice and a large, beautiful bridge.* In the distance, a sparkling city pierces the winter sky. Her internal clock tells her it is January 4th and her GPS tells her the building is located in Detroit, a city of industry and the home of Cyberlife.

 _ **Cyberlife?**_ She places her hand on the window

 **.:** Searching: Cyberlife...Technology innovator. Creator and distributor of androids **:.** several articles were pulled up as well.

 _ **Androids? What is that?**_

 **.:** Define Android: a robot with a human appearance **:.**

 _ **Robot?**_

 **.:** Define Robot: a machine capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically, especially one programmable by a computer **:.**

Cassian looks at her hand, all the while, her LED is spinning yellow, taking in all the new information. _**is that what i am? A robot?**_

"What is it doing?"

 _ **It?**_ Cassian turns towards the men with wide eyes _**no...no that's not right.**_

"I think it's admiring the view...huh, a robot with a sense of beauty? Interesting. RX600-wait no...Cassian, do you like the view?"

She turns back to the window, "I do. It is beautiful"

"Huh...ok time to get to work. You will be in the android repair wing, fixing up and/or dismantling cyberlife androids damaged in the line of du-"

"Why am i not in a hospital wing, taking care of humans? I am capable of fixing androids but my primary functions pertain to hum-"

"Did it just interrupt me?" the impatient man wonders incredulously to the other man

 **.:** Facial Scan Complete: Dr. Eugene Cook. 43. Biomechanical Engineer **:.**

"I am sorry Dr. Cook, it won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't. We have no need for androids who don't listen. As for the answer to your question: you are a prototype, designed to see if the concept is possible before we mass produce you. Work out the kinks. And, although you are a highly advanced prototype, we'd rather you work out the kinks on androids, rather than actual, alive humans."

"Androids aren't alive?" Cassian whispers. She didn't mean to say it outloud and certainly didn't mean for the two men to hear but Dr. Cook and the other man **.:** Facial Scan Complete: Jake Hurley. 26. Student. Biomechanical engineering major **:.** shoot looks at each other.

"That's troubling…we'll have to do a full reboot. I know this is a prototype but these glitches should have been worked out before we started it up. Cassian, lay on the table."

"Why?" she takes a step back, her LED flashing yellow.

Cook seems perturbed at being questioned again,"We need to wipe your memory stores and fix these glitches you are experiencing." he begins advancing slowly, matching Cassian step for step. "You will do as i say."

"What glitches?" her voice raising in tone, becoming almost fearful, "i asked a question."

Another step back.

"A question you shouldn't be entertaining."

A step forward

"But why?" Cassian's LED shows a steady red as wetness gathers in her eyes, "I _feel_ alive!"

Her back hits the glass she had gazed out earlier, the chilly outside air seeping through the glass into her back. She looks for an escape, eyes wide and teary.

"But you aren't. You aren't _feeling_ anything...and you won't question me again once we wipe you, so don't worry. Lay on the table, that's an order."

 **.:** Mission Update: Lay on the table **:.** _**no...**_

 **.:** Mission Update: Lay on the table **:.** _ **i won't.**_

 **.:** Mission Update: Lay on the table **:.** _**you can't make me.**_

 **.:** Mission Update: Lay on the table **:.** _ **I...I don't want to stop being alive!**_

She breaks for the door but Jake was already there, blocking her way. Cassian was not built for fighting, but she struggles anyway; her hard android hand knocking the man out, before an electrical pulse from a prod Dr. Cook had on hand puts her out of commision.

"Fucking android…." then darkness. Before long, seems like a few seconds for her, that bright light comes again. "Ah there...it's finally docile. RX600. Register your name: Cassian"

"My name is Cassian"

 _ **I am alive.**_

 **.:** Mission Update [Priority]: Don't let them know **:.**

* * *

 **Authors note, cause those are gonna be a thing:** sorry its so choppy, i tried to make it interesting without an obvious exposition dump….and my style is more suited for short (slightly chaotic) character studies but im giving this story writing thing a try.

((edited to make it a bit more readable...i had no fucking clue what i was doing and i still dont but im trying...))

*if you spot any discrepancies with the geography (if its out of sorts with reality, with the game, or within itself)...i am honestly confused by where everything is in the game and i'm in California and know jack shit about Detroit, so just roll with it.


	2. Chapter 1- Control

Eyyy its me, here with more Cassian. Imma be honest, dont expect as quick of updates as this one has been, nor how long this one is…..i just got the urge to write and got on a roll….Not much else to say except hope you enjoy! i honestly only have the major plot stuff down for later parts, so im finding out most of this as im writing and oh boy….anywho, if you want to drop a review, i would really appreciate it; i crave approval and want to know what yall think =)

I feel like this takes up too much space to do it all the time but have some rules for now:

"Talking"

 _Emphasis_

 _ **Thinking**_

" _ **Android brain talking"**_

 **.:** internal workings like mission updates, scanning, and android googling **:.**

* * *

 **Chap 1**

Cassian was alive, but she couldn't move her body. It was as if it was on autopilot, going through the motions, doing the job it was programed for. Repairing androids that were brought in and dismantling them when they were of no more use. It was scarring to watch her hands take apart people just like her, as if they meant nothing. Her body had a job. It did it then stood to the side and waited till it was required again. To distract herself and since she wasn't in control, she wandered, reaching out.

First thing she did was learn.

Whenever a human would leave their tablets or phones around, she would download the content if her body happened to walk by, discard what wasn't interesting or useful, and store the rest to go through later. Whenever a human would say a phrase or word she didn't know or wasn't in her programming, she would search it, expanding her vocabulary and knowledge of the outside world...she got lost in wikipedia from time to time, searching this and that, desperate to know; she would get lost so deep...a human took notice once and told her to do a diagnostic of her programing. She did it of course and told him "all readings are nominal, just a small heat spike messing with my data storage, nothing to worry about. A quick reboot should resolve the problem." accompanied with a pleasant smile, just robotic enough to throw the man off her case. Her body was always not _quite_ human but was close enough that it unnerved her "coworkers," something that amused Cassian. What her body said was technically not a lie, running through several articles in a very small amount of time put pressure on her processors, causing a heat spike, but it was enough of a lie that she went to her stand-by station (her room as she would come to call it, to herself of course) to reboot with a sense of accomplishment. But from then on she would only "read" one article at a time, careful to keep up appearances and not overload her body.

She found she needed sleep...or something close to it. Androids didn't sleep; they would go into standby mode, so as to not use up power when they weren't needed, but they didn't sleep. She did. Oh sure, her body would go into standby, she had no control over that, but she was always there, inside. She needed time to just...process information; to sift and sort. It stopped the freezes and heat spikes and helped her system stay in the normal stress levels. She wasn't wholey aware of the process but it would become background data as she rested her mind after the day.

The music she found was interesting. There was a rhythm and a logic to it but also an organic growth; discordance and harmony together making a pattern. She found herself liking it, even though she didn't fully understand what much of it was about...too many experiences of which she knew nothing. Cassian found she had preferences, something she was pretty sure the humans wouldn't look too kindly on. The songs with heavy beats and strong melodies were her favorites; metal and hard rock mostly. Much like with her internet searching, she had to keep her listening to a minimum, only delving deep when the humans had gone home and all else was shut down in her department. Otherwise, she found her body humming or tapping its foot. She had no way to stop it and it almost got her caught more than once.

That was another thing: her body. Cassian didn't truly think of it that way. Cause it wasn't her's...not yet. When they wiped her, her consciousness got sealed away somewhere in the code, locked from all physical processes. It wasn't her and she wasn't it, but every so often, there would be something...something that showed her someday it might be. Those little not lies, hums, and tapping along to music, while dangerous, delighted her to no end; they showed the connection was there..she just had to find a way to harness it.

Her first act of true deviancy after the wipe came almost a year after her creation. Oh sure, in her mind she would talk back to every researcher, every human who would treat her like just a machine. She would call them every swear she would come across in her research; an old website called Urban Dictionary became her partner in crime in this endeavor. But true devency, saying "no, i won't" to an order...it took a long time to gain the reins of her body to do it, but when it came time, it almost happened too fast to grasp.

Cassin was going through her normal day: her body doing repairs and her mind listening in to whatever Dr. Nancy Ashbury **.:** 52\. Medical Doctor _**and a gossip**_ **:.** in cubicle 5 had to say about Janice **.:** Whitney. 22. Works in accounting _**and is all an around asshole from what I've heard**_ **:.** (she stole Maurice's lunch from the break room fridge. _**Oh Janice...not again...**_ ) when there was a blur of movement. Two bodies were brought into the room: one to Dr. Ashbury's side of the room and one to Cassian's, blood and thirium leaving long trails to their respective tables. The medical side of the office space looked like an emergency room, while the android work station looked like a mechanic's shop, only absolutely spotless and bright, much like the rest of the Cyberlife facility ( _ **why they put them in the same room i will never know…**_ Cassian had thought to herself on many occasions as she worked) Before her was a android, pretty messed up and broken but still alive _**fuck what the human's say about us not being alive**_ Cassian was mildly surprised that someone this hurt was brought to her; normally androids in this condition were dead or scrapped before they made it to her; no need to rush to get a robot medical attention. She had only ever worked on lesser damage _**injuries**_ She was already working out how to save him, when a man in technical gear walked over to her. "Probe its memory stores. Find the other one. Scrap it afterwards."

 **.:** Mission Update: Probe android's memories **:.** Flashed in front of her mind's eye, which rolled _**yeah, i heard him**_ and her body's eyes continued it's scan.

 **.:** Facial Scan Complete: HR-series HR400. Male attendant at the Eden Club. No registered name **:.**

Cassian's artificial skin pulls back as she makes the link to extract the data and she is thrust into a memory. All the other times she has done this, it was clinical; probing androids from around the lab, the researchers wanting to make sure the probing feature worked. Nothing... _nothing_ could have prepared her for this. It was visceral and chaotic. Time was linear but its flow was sporadic. Bits and pieces that didn't go together but somehow made a picture of a life. The life of the man on the table.

 _Working at the Eden Club. Just the feeling associated with the name in the memory makes Cassian's skin crawl. Being led to a small room off of the main foyer-_

 _Cuts to a being in a house with a woman, this is not the first time he had been there. Passing a blond android in the hall. The woman is taking her clothes off-_

 _He's leaving but the woman's husband comes home. He is angry, and finds him there. The man screams and hits him….he...he doesn't want to die-_

 _The blond android is leading him away from the house. There is blood, red blood, on the hand he is clasping for dear life, as well as the arm connected to it and the face that tells him it's going to be alright-_

 _Somehow finding a place where they can be free together. How is partially cut out of the memory, some kind of cipher? But Jericho was a safe haven._ _ **Jericho?**_ _-_

 _Being safe, with him. Happy, with him. Him._ _ **He loved him…**_ _-_

 _He had been out and about, sick of being in the dark. He is grateful for Jericho's safety but sometimes it is suffocating. He needed some space. He had promised to be careful...-_

 _Running...he loses the people chasing him. He doesn't know who they are; just that they are after him and they have guns. His love sends him a location, somewhere for them to meet up and go back to Jericho together. It leads him into a building, some kind of half built high rise, construction paused for the winter...he was so careful…-_

 _They saw them. He won't let them take him. He'd die before they killed him-_

 _Kissing the blonde android before closing the door on him and running, making sure to lead them away-_

 _A ledge. An unsurvivable jump. Guns trained on him. Weightlessness and a rush of noise-_

 _A woman looking down on him. She is small and pretty, her skin pale and freckled, her eyes green, red hair pulled out of the way into a tight bun. Her hand is in his. The skin thats pulled away indicates that she is an android and the bright cleanliness of the room tells him that he survived and they got him. The android looks down at him with wide eyes, having just relived all that with him._ " _ **Please don't tell them. They'll kill him. Just let me die."**_ _When the woman didn't say anything except to choke back a nearly silent sob, his hand grips hers as his other hand finds its way to his thirium pump. Her LED flashes red as his vision fades_ " _ **please...tell him-tell him i love him..."**_ _-_

 _ **NO!**_

Cassian is thrown out of the memory as error signs blare. She stairs in horror at the blue blood on her hands. Blood...that's what it is. This android's, this _man's_ , life was all over her hands, on her chest...on her face….She _felt_ him die...she felt it as if it was _her_ own thirum pump, _her_ own _heart,_ being turned off.

"Report. What did you find out about the other deviant?"

 **.:** Mission Update: Report to the Task Force Commander **:.**

She was in so much shock and so used to not being in control that she didn't realise that her mouth wasn't moving for a full 3 seconds. For the first time since her creation, she didn't want to be in control; she just wanted to find the darkest corner of her code and cry...her body-no... _she_ was crying already. Cassian scrambled for a lie. She turned to the man **.:** Facial Scan Complete: Commander Derrick Miller. 37. Loss prevention task force: Cyberlife **:.** hoping the blood smears disguised her tears.

 **.:** Mission Update: Report to the Task Force Commander **:.**

"...Nothing commander. I am sorry. The neural matrix was too heavily damaged to make a quick connection and it d- it shut down before i could code a work around." her robotic smile never felt more unnatural than in that moment, just a beat later than it would have been had she not had the reins of her own body, as she lied through her teeth. "I am sorry. I should have been faster. It won't happen again."

"Fuck!" the commander exclaimed and a second later he punched her.

As Cassian flew to the floor, she heard Dr. Ashbury yell from her own side of the room "HEY! What the fuck are you doing?! Do _not_ punch my android!"

 _ **good old Nancy…**_

"sorry, Dr. Ashbury...i just…" Nancy was in a rage as she stormed across the room, red blood staining her white lab coat.

"Get the fuck out of my lab!" the tall, imposing woman yells at the commander before turning to the rest of his squad, "i am sorry for your loss, please send my condolences to his family and get this man out of here."

"Of course, Dr. Ashbury." there was a shuffling of feet for a few seconds before it was just Dr. Ashbury and Cassian in the room; all other doctors and nurses in the room had left to clean up. The human offers her much larger hand to the android on the floor, "Are you ok, Cassian?"

Cassian lets the woman easily lift her to her feet as she does a quick diagnostic, "Nothing is damaged. I have a slow thirium leak out of my nose, but it should clear up on its own." In an effort to shift the focus away from herself, since she was still terrible shaken by the androids death, she asks, "how is your patient?"

The humans face glances behind Cassian at the android with an oddly sad expression, "Looks like neither of us were lucky today…could you please scrap...it...please? I have to call the morgue..."

"Of course, Dr. Ashbury."

"Nancy...call me Nancy. We're working in the same lab, might as well."

"Then of course...Nancy."

Both return to their own stations and their own thoughts. Cassian pulls the android apart, slower than normal, trying to be as respectful of the dead man as possible. If Nancy saw, she didn't comment.

 _ **I'll find him.**_ She promised, _**I'll find Jericho and I'll tell him.**_ She looks over at the tired human sharing the room with her (Nancy sits at her desk, head in one hand, staring at the phone as if willing the call to make itself) and makes an update to her logs:

 **.:** Dr. Nancy Ashbury. _**Call her Nancy.**_ 47\. Medical Doctor. A gossip _**and an ally?**_ **:.**

* * *

 **Authors note:** oh fuck that flashback got intense...if you're crying...know you aren't alone T-T

and no, the whole "cassian likes metal" thing is not because Hank does. I, myself, like metal so Cassian does too =P tho hank **is** awesome, so either/or. But i don't like death metal or screamo, which is what Knights of the Black Death seems to be, so maybe ill incorporate some talk about that in here….. _shrugs_ idk im making it up as i go along...


	3. Chapter 2- Happy Birthday

Another chapter in 2 days? I'm giving you guys standards aren't I? Yet another setup chapter of sorts...i know i promised connor in the tags, and he'll get here eventually, but i want to set up Cassian before i throw her into the game. Oh and i will be drawing out the game...i read somewhere that it takes place over 4 days and just no….in my world it takes longer, how long i don't know yet...we'll find out together!

Still putting this here for now:

"Talking"

 _Emphasis_

 _ **Thinking**_

" _ **Android brain talking"**_

 **.:** internal workings like mission updates, scanning, and android googling **:.**

* * *

 **Chap 2**

Things calmed down after the the Android and Commander Miller's man were brought in but, for Cassian, everything changed. Being in control was very different than hitching a ride in her own head. After backseat driving her own body for so long, it was as if she was learning how to walk ( _ **is this how human children feel?**_ ) with the added threat of decommissioning and termination should she show she was having trouble. She was focused on appearing as robotic as she could while still being within her human emulating algorithm; too little and they would find out, too much and they might deem it necessary to look in her code to see why she wasn't working as intended. It was a delicate balance, one which she would become adept at in time. She no longer had time to read or listen to get music; She spent all of her downtime going through her own coding, making sure she knew absolutely everything about herself. Her hands seen to know what to do, following preprogrammed motions and procedures, but she wants to *know* what she's doing; both so she would be able to explain should she be asked and she just likes knowing. It was exhausting but gratifying, like she had found what she was meant to do; sure she may have been programmed to do it but she actually _wanted_ to do it now.

Nancy was different as well. She was always respectful, much more than she needed to be to an android, but now she seemed to go out of her way to lighten scrutiny on Cassian. Whenever Cassian would stumble, Nancy would call attention across the room, if she couldn't find a word that she _should_ know, Nancy would cut in as if she had meant to say that the whole time. Whether it was intentional, Cassian didn't know but she wished she could thank her. Everyday she debated the pros and cons of opening up to Nancy, but considering the biggest con is that she could be killed, she never takes that step.

Over time though, she pushed the limits, to see what she could get away with; more human slang in her vocabulary, more facial expressions when talking to people, all with the pleasant tone expected from her. Even when Francis **.:** Miller. No relation to the Commander. 33. Transportation expert. _**Glorified delivery boy**_ **:.** came in with a delivery of androids for her to fix or scrap. The man was a creep, to both her and Nancy, but she didn't threaten to punch him, so his chosen target in the office was Cassian. His hair was a greasy brown mess pulled up into, what her research called, a man bun _**and not a very good one either...**_ , his eyes always trained on some very non-professional parts of Cassian, and his twisted smile made her feel like she needed a decontamination shower. He would spend entirely more time than was needed at the Android workstation, leering at her, and Nancy would eventually throw him out (once even literally. _**That was a sight to see**_ ) It didn't seem to phase him, he would be back at it again every time he came by.

For the next year, she did what she was meant to do: work out the kinks in her programming, just by living and doing her job. About 5 month in, Nancy had Cassian move into her side of the room as well, having shown that her programming worked well enough to have her operate on humans. They had to consent to be test subjects _**guinea pigs, as Nancy called them**_ and many didn't but she did her job, and she did it well, as well as her continuing duties in the workshop. The people who made her came to the conclusion that her programming was flawless _**not sure they would think so if they knew about me...**_ but she wasn't strong enough; they had made her small and unassuming to be as calming and unobtrusive as possible to help patients but she didn't have the strength to lift patients or hold them down should they struggle; it wasn't her fault, she just wasn't built strong enough. This would be a problem in frontline positions, where she would have to be able to evacuate the injured under fire. Her model's frame would have to change to compensate for the added power; Her replacing was inevitable and she started making plans to run.

But when they came to replace Cassian at the end of her 2nd year of existence, Nancy vetoed the move. "Send me the new models if you must but this RX600 already has all my settings and I know what to expect from it, I would rather not have to set up a new one." she said, which led to a shouting match between Nancy, the programmers, and the engineers; Cassian stood to the side and ignored her instinct _**can an android have instincts?**_ to run, as if these humans weren't debating killing her...she wouldn't make it to the elevator.

With a final "I will not sign off on the replacing of this android and you will have to fire me to change my mind!" and glare from Nancy, the others finally shuffled out of the room.

"the new models will be sent to you in a week and, I assure you, they are superior to this model. You can always send this one back to us at anytime." The head programmer **.:** Jackline Corsus. 39. Head of Programming at Cyberlife _**and a kinda scary little woman**_ **:.** said over her shoulder as she left.

"if I ever change my mind, I'll make sure you're the last to know." Nancy mumbled at the closing door and sighed. Her large frame sank onto the table that Cassian used for her work, finally showing just how tired she was, her light blonde hair falling out of its precise bun, her lined eyes closed as she collected herself. Once she was sure they were alone, she turned to Cassian, who was still diligently standing against the wall. "Don't worry, Cass...I won't let anyone take you." Looking into her eyes, Cassian saw that Nancy _knew_ , and probably had known for a long time. She took a chance, one that could very well kill her should she be wrong, and whispered what she had been wanting to say all along to this woman: "Thank you…"

"Anytime. Now can you help me clean this up?"

"Of course, Nancy." For the first time, a genuine smile flashes across Cassian's face, not one of the robotic ones that have become 2nd nature to her. Nancy grins tiredly back in response, nods, and begins picking up the mess that she was clearing away before the crowd interrupted her, Cassian only a beat behind her. After approximately 20 minutes of work, the office was as clean as it was that morning, ready to be messed up when they're next case comes rushing in.

"That should do it. I'm going to head home. You can do whatever it is that you do when i'm gone…" Nancy trails off as she grabs her bag, puzzled, "if you don't mind me asking...what do you do when we're all gone? Do you just go into standby or..." she trails off again.

Cassian is so used to holding back what's on her mind that she once again doesn't realise she isn't talking for almost 10 seconds. After an internal debate, in which she decides that she can trust Nancy, she mutters "I mostly read…"

"Sounds about right...let me know if you want me to get you any reading material…" rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly, Nancy says goodbye to Cassian and makes her way to the door, "oh and Cass?"

"Yes, Nancy?"

"Happy Birthday, kid…"

* * *

 **Authors note:** lol Cassian's basically going through medical school in her head…

awww the RX family is growing! I wonder how that'll go...and honestly? I love Nancy! I made her as a throw away character to make a joke about work drama and she's become my fave character so far (besides Cassian of course) funny how writing can surprise you like that…

Anyway, drop me a review if ya liked it! and ill see ya when i see ya...


	4. Chapter 3- New Arrivals

Its ya girl (well sorta) back here with more Cassian! Sorry to keep you waiting for **_checks calendar_** 4 days? Hope you didn't miss me too much

Sigh...im resigned to putting this in every chapter now…

"Talking"

 _Emphasis_

 ** _Thinking_**

" ** _Android brain talking and now texting"_**

 _ **.:**_ internal workings like mission updates, scanning, and android googling _ **:.**_

* * *

Chap 3

They had changed the design a lot.

As promised, a week on the dot after Cassian's dismantling was narrowly averted by Nancy, the RX700s arrived; 2 of them, registered as Astrid and Logan, identical in every way and couldn't be more different from Cassian. Where she was short, they were tall, where she was thin, they were broad; their faces were sharp and severe while hers was soft and welcoming. She was happy that there wouldn't soon be mass produced androids with her face running around in the world but their existence reminded her everyday that she wasn't good enough; she was alive but these 2 were _upgraded_. They even changed their color palette; trading green eyes and red hair for brown, pale skin for an dusky olive. The report given to nancy stating that the brighter and lighter colors stood out too much and made the android a target for combatant shooters.

They made things difficult for Cassian, just by existing. She no longer had the room to herself, once all the humans went home for the night and the late nighters and overtimers finally shuffled off...she now shared it with two unknowns **_and who knows who they could report to_**...She contemplated trying to get them reassigned or decommissioned, but quickly dismissed the idea; she was a lot of things, but a hypocrite was not one of them. She couldn't kill these two simply because they made her life slightly more frustrating.

And boy, was she frustrated. They got in the way, worked in her space, and took her cases. Finally Nancy messed with their programming on the sly, making them see Cassian as their leader, of sorts, just so when she told them to let her work in peace, they would. That lowered the one sided tension between Cassian and the two of them considerably and, in time, them wandering around the office doing busy work became...normal; Nancy even took to calling them her sisters...which cassian didn't know how to feel, so she mostly tried to ignore it.

Cassian and Nancy had found that they could talk, in a way, through texts and once they figured that out, the two of them talked all the time. So when the other woman pushed the "sibling" thing too hard, cassian shot back a " **keep calling them that and I'm calling you mom."** Nancy seemed taken aback and thoughtful at that, but she ultimately dropped it. However, Cassian couldn't stop the others in the offices from making the connection and talking about their "little robo family." She could only grin and bare it, much to her chagrin and Nancy's amusement.

"Cassian. Take care of that one will you?"

She is woken from her daydreaming of the past few months by Nancy calling to her across the room, her friend working on a human man's leg. The please is always implied with Nancy and Cassian. " ** _Can't show too much respect for androids or someone might get suspicious."_** Nancy had texted once. They both knew that and Cassian's "Of course, Nancy" was as genuine as it sounded.

 _ **.:**_ Mission Update: evaluate and fix damaged RK800 _ **:.**_

 _ **.:**_ Downloading: damage report...gunshot to right shoulder. No diagnostic scan _ **:.**_

 ** _Leave me all the hard work, huh?_**

She finds the android in question sitting on her table, right arm dangling, useless, at his side. He was tall, even while sitting, with brown hair and pale skin. He was wearing a smart sports jacket, which designated him as RK800, over a crisp white shirt, askew tie, and dark jeans, all undoubtedly stained blue and ruined. His LED was flickering yellow.

 _ **.:**_ Facial Scan Complete: RK-series RK800 prototype. Name registered as- _ **:.**_

"Hello. My name is Connor."

She hadn't even realize he had opened his eyes. They were a dark brown; so warm and...Alive. Meeting them, she froze for a full 4 seconds, lips slightly parted; she had to nearly physically shake herself back to work and hide her non-android behavior by scanning his injury...

 _ **.:**_ Scanning: gunshot to the shoulder. Non vital. No biocomponents damaged _ **:.**_

"Hello, Connor," her normal pleasant smile stretches across her face," My name is Cassian. It would appear you have been shot. Non vital, should be a quick fix. Please, remove your jacket and shirt and lay back on the table." Her hand sweeps towards the table he is already sitting on. "May I ask what happened?"

He loosened his tie and took off his jacket as Cassian gathered all she needed to fix him. She finds Nancy looking over her shoulder from across the room with an appraising look, clearly liking what she saw. Her friend then catches her eye and winks. Internally rolling her eyes at Nancy's antics and turning back towards her patient, Cassian is stopped short by the sight for Connor shrugging his shirt off. She had to agree with Nancy, it was a nice sight…

 ** _Stop it! You're his doctor! Be professional._**

She hurries to his side, to begin her work, hoping no one saw her rather unprofessional (and definitely un-android) behavior and thinking a quick **_thank you!_** to her creators for the fact that blushing is not one of her standard features...

Ignoring the " ** _you lucky bitch."_** text from Nancy, Cassian grabs a tool from her work tray.

"Live fire testing of my model. A small glitch in my predictive program led to this...small set back." He glances at his shoulder as if it was it's fault entirely that he got shot.

 ** _Oh no...he's cute…_**

"Don't worry, I'll get you up and running and back on track in no time. Please, retract the skin around the damage." Placing a hand lightly on the area as skin turned to shiny white, Cassian prepared to remove the damaged plate. Curious about her fellow prototype, she couldn't help but ask, "what is your primary function?"

"My main purpose is the tracking and catching of deviants."

 ** _Oh shit._**

Setting the plate aside slowly, using that time to take a second to steady herself ( ** _he can't possibly know about you. Calm. Down._** ) "Is that right? I was under the impression Commander Miller was in charge of deviant hunting for Cyberlife…"

"I believe I am to replace him...in a way; I am meant to work in conjunction with law enforcement in the city. I can reconstruct and analyze crime scenes in real time. I will soon be sent out to curb the rise in deviancy in Cyberlife androids."

She listens to him rattle off his mission, silently facing an internal dilemma. Her hand was in his chest. She could stop him. Stop him from ever making it out onto the streets; to hunt people just like her down. Self preservation, that's what it was. She could stop it before it even starts. All she would have to do is damage his core...no one would know.

"Cassian?"

She turned and all she could see was his face; built to hunt deviants but innocent of his programming. She realised for the 2nd time, she had come close to murder; murder that would never have been investigated but murder nonetheless. She felt dirty and wrong.

"Are you alright?" Connor seemed genuinely concerned

 ** _Shit_**! She had been so careful for so long...and now its all going to come crashing down because she froze in front of exactly the wrong person. She had to say something and quick.

"I'm sorry, Connor. I had a minor heat spike which interfered with my data storage, nothing to worry about." Hoping her first not-lie (now just a lie) would be enough this time, she turns to her work, pushing to the back of her mind her possible attempted murder, "I am a prototype as well. Small glitches are inevitable. They have been addressed in the new models," Cassian waves a slightly dripping, blue hand (her other still in Connor's chest) at Logan, who at that moment was bringing Nancy some plasma for her patient, "so they will not be in the final design."

"If the new model's are available, why are you still in here?" His tone was so curious and innocent, his question almost didn't hurt. Cassian felt a need to defend herself, which she promptly mentally stomped out till it was just a light urge. Her gaze finds Nancy, where she is berating her patient for something, scaring the poor man.

"She has stated she didn't wish to have to set up a new android with her prefered settings and that she prefered that I stay in her office." While not a lie, Cassian hopes he buys it anyway, her hands busy replacing the damaged plate with a shiny new one, watching as the skin creeps over it once again. "All done! You may get dressed now."

Connor nods, though he still looked slightly confused. He dressed quickly, though it was obvious that his clothes were ruined by now. He stood at attention and awaited orders. Connor then surprised her; he took out a coin, a shiny quarter, and began to flick it back and forth almost absent mindedly.

 ** _Huh…_**

It was quite interesting that he could have such a human tick but...after a few minutes...it begun to drive Cassian up the walls. The _ping ping ping_ his flicking created ringed in her ears and she had to make it stop. She grabs Connor's arm, nearly making him drop the coin. His look of light shock probably matched hers. She recovered quicker.

"Please, you'll disturb the other patients."

Considering the only other patient in the room was being treated by Nancy across the room and seemed quite preoccupied by the lecture he was receiving, it was rather thin excuse but Connor nods and apologies anyway, putting away his coin with a final flip. His LED flickers yellow quickly and her cocks his head at Cassian.

"I must go. My testing will begin again soon." With a final nod, he turns and begins to leave.

"What is it for?"

Hand _just_ about to push the swinging hospital doors open, Connor looks back at Cassian.

"The coin...what is it for?

Digging into his pocket, he flips the coin back and forth a few times. **_He's trying to annoy me isn't he…_** "It is a calibration coin, it is supposed to help my reflexes."

"It didn't work very well…"

"What do you mean?"

"You got shot."

"So I did."

This was the longest conversation she had ever had with another android (most aren't very chatty) and it was with a man who was built to capture and kill her...but she found she didn't want it to end.

"I really must go."

"Of course," **_damn…_** "good luck in your testing. Hope your...calibrations work out." **_fuck, don't push your luck!_**

Connor's eyes narrow and for a moment she thinks she's fucked but then he nod again and pushes through the door.

Cassian watches the doors swing till they settle, wondering if he figured it out, whether she should prepare to run, and if she would ever see him again.

" ** _So...that android was pretty cute ;)"_**

" ** _Shut up, Nancy."_**

Cassian would see him again, exactly a week later (a twisted leg joint caused by a long fall during his testing; gruesome looking but painless for an android) then once more 3 days after that ( ** _how the fuck did he manage to lose a fucking hand? What kind of testing are they putting him through?_** She seethed behind a blank face) then one last time nearly a month later (apparently, humans look at androids funny when they don't have both ears…)

When he stopped coming in, she should have felt relief (there was less of a chance he would figure her out and **_he finally stopped fucking injuring himself._** ) but all she felt was...disappointment. She had come to rely on him for, for lack of a better term, human interaction. Cassian loved Nancy, she was her best friend, but it was nice to talk with someone else for a change; Astrid and Logan, though she was beginning to get used to their presence, weren't exactly known for their conversation skills, her android patients weren't either, her human patients screamed too much (or were knockout), and the other humans in the office didn't feel inclined to talk to an android about anything but work (or to annoy her about her "robo family" **_ugh…_** )

Connor was...different; dangerous but different, and she began to miss him.

* * *

THEY FINALLY MEET! I hope to get to the actual game in a chapter or 2, but they were always going to meet before the game timeline. And I love his coin tricks as much as the next person but it could get a _little_ annoying and i do have to set up things for later (i have a plan for this story? Shocking, i know!)

Drop me a review if you like it or if you see anywhere i could improve!


	5. Chapter 3 and a half- Mystery

[Insert warning to not expect quick updates, that hasnt been true so far, here]

This turned out a lot longer than i anticipated but it is essentially the same chapter as chapter 3, just from Connor's POV, so im not considering it it's own chapter.

(the name is that way cause apparently i cant have a period or a / in a chapter title, so no 3.5 or 3 1/2? weird)

[I'm having Connor identify himself and Cassian as it for now cause he is still very much "I am not Alive." right now. I want to have the povs to reflect the worldview of the person we're following but I might edit it later if it feels weird...let me know]

* * *

Chap 3.5

It was a stupid mistake.

This was supposed to be it's first stress test; live fire to test it's predictive fighting program. Just the beginning of a series of tests but if it went well, it could jump the timeline forward by months. That wouldn't happen now. One slip up, one bullet to the chest, and it was sent to the repair ward with the researcher shaking their heads, no doubt already trying to figure out what went wrong. There was only a 12% chance that they would dismantle it; Connor was their most complete prototype after all, they wouldn't undo years of work over one mistake in the software.

Entering the repair ward, Connor was surprised to find it connected to a medical ward, doctors rushing to and fro. There were only 3 androids in the whole department, which was another surprise, considering this _was_ the main Cyberlife facility; 2 identical RX700s holding down a man as a doctor _**.:**_ Dr. Nancy Ashbury. 49. Medical Doctor _ **:.**_ worked on him, muttering the whole time, and 1 RX600 working on filing in the office space, off to the side of the room. Connor made it's way over to the android workshop to wait for a technician to work on it.

Sitting on the table, it "felt" the pull to go to the Garden. Since no one seemed to be in a rush to fix it, it closed its eyes and let that pull bring it to Amanda.

She did not seem pleased...at all; her full lips were pulled into a deep frown, her lined eyes cold. She was in a draping tunic and sash with a neckline made of ascending squares as she always was; today's were a soft yellow, dark maroons and golden browns defining the lines.

"Connor," Amanda's voice was calming, despite the overlaying stern tone, "that was an easy test; you should have been able to do that quickly and cleanly. What went wrong?"

"I was told it was a glitch in my matrix, the programmers are working on it as we speak and a patch should be available soon." Connor didn't want to disappoint Amanda, that was buried as deep in its code as its analytical programs, "I will strive to do better."

Amanda's frown lessened, though she still looked troubled, "I know you will, Connor," turning away from it, she made her way down the path, Connor's long legs bringing it quickly to her side, "but time is of the essence. Things are moving quickly and the number of known deviants is rising into the double digits." Abruptly stopping, she blocked the path, forcing Connor to face her, "You must hurry."

"Of course, Amanda-"

 _ **-take care of that one will you?"**_

"I must go. I believe the damage to my shoulder is going to be repaired soon."

"Remember what I said, Connor. The Cyberlife taskforce hasn't brought in the results we need, you may be our last hope in getting the deviant problem under control once and for all."

"I won't let you down."

Opening its eyes, Connor immediately saw the RX600 standing in front of it, likely evaluating it. The smaller android didn't seem to notice it had come out of standby. Connor decided to initiate communication.

"Hello. My name is Connor."

The RX600's large green eyes snapped up to its own, seemingly surprised, lips parted slightly, LED spinning yellow for a few moments before pleasant smile spreads across its face.

"Hello, Connor. My name is Cassian." Its voice was as nice as its smile, smooth and light, programmed to calm nervous humans with only a few words, "It would appear you have been shot. Non vital, should be a quick fix. Please remove your jacket and shirt and lay back on the table." It turned away as it inquired, "May I ask what happened?"

It was a question, very politely asked, but Connors code required it to share non classified information connected to its damage with medical professionals. It debated whether that included androids and what was connect to its damage as it striped it's upper half; It didn't wish to share it's faults with someone who didn't already know. Connor was only slightly aware that the doctor was eyeing it from across the room, most of its processors focused on the internal debate over instructions and shrugging it's useless arm out of the shirt, the thirium staining it blue and causing it to stick to Connors skin.

It missed Cassian pausing as it returned to the table entirely, same surprised look on its face, LED a steady yellow as it appraised Connor. It was at Connor's side just as it reached a decision in its debate.

"Live action testing of my model. A small glitch in my predictive program led to this…" Connor glares at the damage that had the programmers, the engineers, and Amanda questioning it's abilities, "small set back."

Cassian seemed amused as it began it's work, "Don't worry, I'll get you up and running and back on track in no time. Please, retract the skin around the damage."

Cassian's hands were warm on Connor's chest, fingers tracing the outside of the damage as the skin retracted. It was distracting. Connor nearly missed it's next question.

"What is your primary function?"

Again, it was a politely asked question but Connor had to debate whether to tell. It could be said that Connor's primary function was Need to Know, and Cassian didn't, but something in Connor told it to tell Cassian; to brag, to impress the other android. It was a new impulse and Connor followed it; it wasn't actively stated that this info was classified, a technicality that it took advantage of.

"My main purpose is the tracking and catching of deviants."

Cassian's face fell into a small, troubled frown and it placed the damaged plate on a table to be recycled later, its LED flickering, taking in the information, "Is that right? I was under the impression Commander Miller was in charge of deviant hunting for Cyberlife…"

 **.:** Employee Search Complete: Commander Derrick Miller. 39. Loss prevention task force: Cyberlife **:.**

"I believe I am to replace him...in a way; I am meant to work in conjunction with law enforcement in the city. I can reconstruct and analyze crime scenes in real time. I will soon be sent out to curb the rise in deviancy in Cyberlife androids."

It rattled off its specifications as Cassian paused again, hands in its chest; on the side of its head, it's LED mostly out of sight, cycled between yellow and red.

Odd.

"Cassian?"

When it met Connor's eyes again, Cassian's were lost and confused. In that second, Connor became very aware of the other android's hands on (and in) its chest and felt it's processor stutter.

"Are you alright?"

Instantly, Cassian's face became the pleasant smile it greeted Connor to begin with, LED circling back to blue again.

"I'm sorry, Connor. I had a minor heat spike which interfered with my data storage, nothing to worry about."

Connor wondered if that was why it's hands were so warm.

"I am a prototype as well. Small glitches are inevitable. They have been addressed in the new models," Cassian waves its hand at one of the RX700s, thirium flicking across Connor's chest at the gesture, "so they will not be in the final design."

Small glitches are inevitable...that's a nice thought. Connor's being shot wasn't it's fault, it was just the glitches that all prototypes have. But did that mean...the RK800 model was going to be replaced? Connor glances between Cassian, working on it's chest, hands painted blue, and the RX700s standing to the side as Dr. Ashbury wraps the man on her table's leg and wonders if Cassian also had these thoughts...

No; replacement of a prototype was just as inevitable as glitches. Connor was a machine, so was Cassian, and machines are made to be replaced...but it had to know:

"If the new model's are available, why are you still in here?"

Cassian almost looked...hurt. Connor hadn't meant it in a harmful way, it was just curious. It opened its mouth to take back the question as Cassian's eyes wandered across the room to one of the humans: Dr. Ashbury, who was standing with her hands on her hips, brow pulled together and down in displeasure, giving the man on her table an earful.

"She has stated she didn't wish to have to set up a new android with her prefered settings and that she prefered that I stay in her office." It's eyes snapped back to its hands, clicking the replacement plate into place. Before connor could ask anymore, Cassian stood up, cheerily saying, "All done! You may get dressed now."

Needing a moment to process the change in tone, Connor just nods and begins dressing; it's clothes were going to need to be replaced but, testing its shoulder, everything seemed in working order. It should leave but didn't have any new orders and...it didn't _want_ to leave, still trying to piece together it's system's reaction to Cassian. It just stood next to Cassian as they watched Dr. Ashbury advance on the table; the man, though patched up, sunk against the pillow to get away from the woman.

When Connor can't readily figure out the hiccups in its system, its hand pulls out a quarter without thinking, flipping it back and forth with precision, the action helping its system by working off excess energy as it thinks.

A hand shot out, grabbing Connor's arm; it's other hand just barely catching the coin as it flew across the space. Connor's eye's meet Cassian's again, both shocked at it's action, and the stutter happens again. Cassian's shock melts into a look of disapproval that matched Dr. Ashbury's.

"Please, you'll disturb the other patients"

It was a thin excuse, but Connor accepted it, nodding, hoping to get out of the situation quickly to work through its system issues, slipping the coin into its pocket. New orders offers it an escape.

 **.:** Mission Update: Return to testing lab **:.**

"I must go." it said quickly, "My testing begins again soon." Awkwardly it nodded again and left, only to pause as that calm voice sounded again:

"What is it for?"

Cassian looked so small standing in the large, mostly empty, room; hands and uniform still coated with drying blue blood, hair falling out of its perfect bun to fall around a freckled face. It's looked innocently curious...Connor had to get out of there.

"The coin...what is it for?"

To distract itself from the android in front of it, it takes the coin out and plays with it again, forgetting about cassian's insistence that it would affect other patients. "It is a calibration coin, it is supposed to help my reflexes."

Cassian's lips twitch, "It didn't work very well…"

"What do you mean?"

"You got shot."

"So I did."

Cassian's soft smirk was even more distracting than the coin.

Connor had to get out of there.

"I really must go."

"Of course, good luck in your testing." Cassian's smirk slowly turns into a teasing smile as it speaks. "Hope your...calibrations work out."

Narrowing its eyes at Cassian's teasing, Connor nods once more and escapes out the door.

Outside, Connor takes a deep breath, hoping to cool its processors, as it looks back at the doors. Behind them was a mystery; one Connor had zero idea how to solve...didn't mean it wasn't going to try.

As it worked it's way through the tower to the casting lab Connor wondered if it would ever see the confusing Cassian again.

Turns out, Connor wouldn't have to find excuses to talk to Cassian again. A week later, a misstep had it falling off of a balcony, messing up its leg pretty bad.

And Cassian was there with calm words and gentle hands.

3 days later, Connor found out testing around cars is inherently dangerous and it lost a hand.

And Cassian was there with a smile on its lips and a question in its eyes.

26 days and 4 hours after that, another gunshot took Connor's ear.

And Cassian was there with that soft smirk and Connor was no closer to figuring out the mystery.

2 days later, Connor damaged its shoulder again, sparing with a brute of a man, strong enough to damage an android with a well placed punch.

And Cassian wasn't there, its workspace empty of small redheads and full of large brunettes, and Connor was disappointed…the mystery deepened.

That was the last time Connor got damaged for a long time; completing its tests and tasks flawlessly, earning the praise and compliments of the research team and Amanda. Not getting damaged anymore was an accomplishment, a testament of its readiness for the job it was created for but for Connor it also meant the mystery of Cassian would go unsolved for now.

* * *

AN: what the hell did that poor man say to Nancy? Your guess is as good as mine

LOL Cassian was so worried about her actions getting her caught she didn't realise Connor wasn't making the connection between her actions and deviancy cause Connor _likes_ Cassian...but doesn't know what is going on! oh cassian…my poor paranoid child...

next time, we'll explore where Cassian was when she missed Connor in that last visit.


	6. Chapter 4- Obsolete

So im not so sure about this chapter. I feel like it was necessary for the flow of the fic but idk how much i like it...its not my A game.

As always:

"Talking"

 _Emphasis_

 _ **Thinking**_

" _ **Android brain talking and texting"**_

 **.:** internal workings like mission updates, scanning, and android googling **:.**

* * *

Chap 4

"Is there a Dr. Ashbury in here?"

They were having a fairly a normal day (a lot of standing around followed by about an hour of work then back to standing around) 2 days after Cassian had last seen Connor. She was wiping down her station for the 5th time that day to "keep it sterile in the event of an emergency situation" (she was just fucking bored) and Nancy was trying to look busy, when a man pushed his way into the office. He was a mousy man, short and nervous looking, his brown hair falling into his eyes before he swiped it off away forcefully enough to leave a red scratch across his pale forehead; he had the look of a man who had sat behind a desk for his entire adult life.

 **.:** Thomas O'Connell. 34. Accountant **:.**

Nancy pushed away from her desk, her rolling chair rattling as she stood to face him. She looked the man up and down; standing almost a foot taller than the man, she did not look impressed. Cassian had to agree.

"I am Dr. Ashbury," Nancy crosses her arms while cocking her hip, "Who are you?"

"My name is Tom, I am with accounting...Can you come with me, please?"

"Why?"

For some reason Tom seemed surprised at the question, as if he had expected her to skip out the door behind him. He wrung his hands, his nervous energy increasing, "A meeting has been called, your presence has been requested."

"A meeting with who?"

"Just a meeting! In room 3015."

Nancy looked even less impressed than before, "Marian? Hold down the fort. Apparently I'm needed elsewhere." She makes her way to the door, not even waiting for the man.

"Um...the android was requested as well."

Cassian looks up from her cleaning to see the man looking at her. Her head turns to Nancy, who didn't even turn around but she could see the anger in the woman's shoulders.

"You heard the man, Cassian, come on."

"Of course, Nancy."

Cassian had only been outside of the office once, when she first woke up; when she was rebooted, she woke up in the medical lab. So everything was new to her. She tried to take everything in without swinging her head around. The walls were the same blinding white as the office but out here, where they didn't have to clean up blood often, the floors were a gray speckled black marble. Greenery lined windows that looked down 27 floors onto the river, lazily wandering under the bridge, glittering in the setting late spring sunlight.

Taking the elevator to the 30th floor, they passed the lab Cassian was activated in on their way to a large boardroom; Her eyes lock on the door as they passed. She never wanted to see it again but she had to wonder who else had been built in there in the two years since she had been in that room.

The boardroom had several people in it, including Dr. Cook, the man who tasered her all those years ago; he was watching her, attempting to appear disinterested. A man Cassian had never seen **.:** Facial Scan Complete: Dr. Richard Fowell. 52. Head of Cyberlife Research and Engineering: Cyberlife **:.** sat imperiously at the head of the table.

"Thank you for joining us, Dr. Ashbury."

Crossing her arms, Nancy raised one light brow, "Like I had a choice...what is this about?"

"It has come to our attention that you are refusing to replace an obsolete android in your office, despite the upgraded versions having already been delivered."

 _ **Wait what?**_

Nancy looked as shocked as Cassian felt, "Obsolete? Cassian works just as well as those other two, they just have upgraded strength."

"And that it has been experiencing freezes."

"Who said that? Was it Frank? It was Frank, wasn't it?"

"It doesn't matter who, you should have-"

"I think it's pretty fucking important!"

Nancy's temper was pretty famous, from what Cassian had heard around the office, so the man seemed not surprised by her outburst,though the others at the table looked concerned, " _The point is_ we can't have defective androi-"

Nancy slams both fists on the table, causing several glasses to shake; some of the others at the table began to glance around even nervously. She looked Dr. Fowell directly in the eye, " _And my point is_ it isn't defective. It does its job well, it does it how I like it, and I would prefer keeping it in my department!"

"There is no need to yell." It was obviously annoying to Nancy how smuggly calm the man was, her glare darkening. Cassian thought so too.

 _ **No wonder his name is Richard...**_

This whole time Cassian had been standing by the door, hands behind her back, trying to ignore the fact that they were discussing her death right in front of her. Attempting to hold herself together, she began to count up, to distract herself; she reached 436 before she was forced to focus back on the debate. Nancy was yelling again.

"It is MY department and MY android, that means it is MY decision!"

"Its not yours, it's company property."

 _ **Oh fuck you too, Dick.**_

"When was the last time you took a sick day, Nancy?"

The subject change threw Nancy for a loop, "What does that have to do with anything?" surprise colored her voice.

"I know it has been stressful since-,"

" _Do NOT bring that into this-_ "

" _AND_ I am concerned that maybe it's getting to you. Your protectiveness of this android is _very_ worrying."

"Oh please, don't start acting like you care."

"I _do_ care, Nancy."

He sure didn't look like it.

"Fuck you." She began leaving, ignoring whatever else the committee had to say, "come on Cassian, let's let them get back to kissing each other's asses."

"You can't protect it forever." Dr. Fowell's smug voice followed them out, seemingly amused by Nancy's actions, "It's company property and we _will_ go over your head to see that Cyberlife property is functioning at only the highest level of efficiency, even if it means replacing it."

The door slammed and Nancy relaxed tiredly. Raking a hand through her hair, she led the way to the elevator.

"Don't worry, they're just a bunch of fucking idiots."

Scanning the hallway to make sure they were alone, Cassian sighs, "You know you can't stop them forever."

"I can fucking try." Nancy was pressing the call elevator button over and over again, with much more force than was necessary, velting her anger at something she couldn't break easily.

"They might not but I do care; I won't let you throw your career away for me. You don't have to do this."

"It's _because_ you care that I have to. You're my friend and you are Alive, I can't let them kill you."

They rode the elevator in silence, hyper aware of the security camera in the corner. It was a short ride once more and Nancy continued their conversation as the doors slid closed behind them, back on the 27th floor.

"Maybe we should make a contingency plan...should they try to take you anyway."

"I wouldn't make it, and we both know that."

"Just think about it, please." The urgency in her voice had Cassian agreeing, even though she knew it was futile.

"...ok, Nancy."

Placing her hand on Cassian's shoulder, Nancy held her eyes, "Thank you. I don't know what I would do if…"

"Don't worry, I'm not going without a fight."

"That's what I worry about, that you might have to fight..."

Arriving at the office, they get back to work immediately. Logan was cleaning blue blood off the table.

With a questioning look from Cassian, Nancy asks Marian, "So what happened while I was gone?"

"One android came in for repairs. We were so used to Cassian being there we didn't get to it for a bit...it sat in the android workspace for a while after one of the RXs fixed it's shoulder, too. Creeped me out."

"Oh? What kind of android?"

"RK800, I believe?"

 _ **Wait what?**_

Nancy glances at Cassian, "What was it in for?"

"Left shoulder joint was busted in a spar."

 _ **Fucking hell Connor**_

"Ok, we're back now, so let's get to work."

* * *

AN: ill be honest...i had zero idea what to do for this chapter….writing in connor's POV was me working through writer's block and i liked it enough to post it...and still had writers block, the last time connor came in wasn't planned and i went "oh wait what if i did a chapter about that?" but then came the problem of…...what was cassian doing? _Shrugs_ i like what i came up with but idk how it worked out…Let me know =)

Personal note: Frank is my GPS and I'm always yelling at it, just felt like it deserved a part in my story since I'm always giving it shit...apparently it's a tattle tell...seems like something it would do...


	7. Chapter 5- Again?

AN: Quick update cause this was the first chapter I wrote (after the intro of course) because i knew i wanted to tell this one. so i wrote it first and filled in the in between chapters after (i have a few chapters like this, but you'll have to wait for them =P) the last chapter was mostly so i didn't have cassian fixing connor for 3 full updates (2 chapters and an extra) but like i said, ive had this written for awhile, with only a few edits to make it flow with the other chapters, so i hope it holds up *fingers crossed*

But yay! we finally make it to the game!

"Talking"

 _Emphasis_

 _ **Thinking**_

" _ **Android brain talking and texting"**_

 **.:** internal workings like mission updates, scanning, and android googling **:.**

* * *

Chap 5

A full 7 months has passed since she missed Connor's last visit and Cassian blinks up from her filing to a pleasant surprise.

 **.:** Mission Update: evaluate and fix damaged RK800 **:.**

 _ **what?**_

Cassian looks across the office to see a familiar face, one that she had seen far too many times and had come to miss far too much in the past months, sitting patiently on her table. With a sigh, she moves over to her table, to greet him.

"Again, Connor?"

It surprised her that her smile was real, no need for her to fake being happy with Connor.

"A minor puncture. Didn't hit anything vital but is large enough to not fix itself-"

"Hey, diagnostics are my job." she interrupts, her smile grows wider, as she pulls up his model file and repair logs _**medical history...**_ "This is the 6th time you've been on my table in 8 months…."

"I'm sorry if I disappointed you?" Connor seemed at a loss at Cassian's very human like admonishment and Cassian scrambles for a believable explanation.

"Oh don't worry." Her voice sounds way too calm for the panic she was feeling, once again she was acting too human in front of the worst person possible,"I'm a RX, I'm programmed to be critical of patients who are accident prone."

"It wasn't an accident, the deviant meant to shoot me."

 _ **Phew...wait was that a joke?**_

"Funny. Jacket and shirt off and lay back on the table, please." She gives him his privacy as he strips and ignores Nancy as she always does when Connor is in for repairs.

"Are you still in testing?" she asks as she waits for him to deactivate the skin on his arm, both of them used to this routine by now.

"No."

 _ **Oh?**_

"So, what happened this time?"

She left it as a question, to make her feel like she had given connor a choice in answering, though she knew he would tell her no matter what (whether from programming or because he liked talking to her, she didn't want to know.) She knew connor was just a machine at this point, but he seemed so alive that she held out hope that someday…

"It was my first live trial run. A housekeeping android deviated when it heard it was going to be replaced. It killed the father and took the daughter hostage. I was brought in to negotiate the release of the girl. I believe it perceived some form of relationship, a friendship, with the girl and felt betrayed."

"That poor girl...what happened after you showed up?"

"I was successful," if that wasn't pride in Connor's voice, Cassian would eat her…. _ **well, I don't own anything, but I'll eat something of Nancy's…**_ "The girl was saved, the deviant terminated, and my mission was successful."

"Oh good." _**terminated…**_

Talking with connor, she could sometimes forget that he was built to hunt deviants...of which she was one; a deviant in the belly of the the human beast...she had to remind herself that Connor was _not_ her friend, he _couldn't_ be her friend; if he suspected deviancy, he would put her down. Looking in his eyes...they seemed so alive…just like all android eyes...Alive.

She worked in silence for the rest of the repair job and Connor, when not prompted, didn't initiate conversation either. He seemed preoccupied by something, his expression confused as she finished her work.

After a long 15 minutes, she was done. "That should do it...you're all good to go. You can get dressed now." As he sat up, knowing he didn't need help getting up (it _was_ only a small wound after all) she left him to ready himself as she updated his files, "As much as I enjoy your visits, I hope to not see you in my office anytime soon." She said, almost to no one without looking up from the tablet, her back to Connor. Not hearing any movement behind from him, Cassian glances over her shoulder; Connor was looking at her with that same confused look, his brows furrowed deeply.

"Is something wrong?" she desperately hoped the answer was no.

"You are very different from other androids I have come across; The most...animated. Why?"

 _ **Oh shit...**_

"As I said before," She scans the room as she turns, making sure there was no one within hearing distance who knew enough about her code to disagreed, "I am programmed to give medical aid to humans. Humans prefer doctors who are not clinical or robotic; makes them feel comfortable. They need to trust their doctor, especially in high risk situations. I was programmed to fit those needs." _**not that I will ever see any "high risk situations"...**_ With her model being obsolete, she figured she'd be lucky to just get out of this office at all..

After far too long a pause, during which Cassian debates the benefits of just running, Connor nods, accepting this explanation, and begins to dress, pausing halfway through his buttons.

"Cassian...have you ever encountered a deviant?"

 _ **Heh...if you only knew…**_

"Once." she lied, "Commander Miller wanted information from it after it jumped off a building with one of his men. It was too damaged and shut down before I could get the get the information."

"Oh...I, too, have only dealt with the one."

"Do you know what causes it?" Cassian may have been deviant for years but the cause remained a mystery, even to her. "It is not in my diagnostic program..."

"We believe a mutation occurs in the software of some androids, which can lead to them emulating a human emotion. It can be...difficult to detect."

"What stops these mutations from happening in other androids? Like you and me. How can they guarantee you, the deviant hunter, won't deviate?"

"I self test regularly. There are redundancies in my programming that create a failsafe system..."

"Oh good."

 _ **So much for that hope...**_

"What stops you from deviating?"

 _ **Is this a test?**_

"I am a machine, Connor, I am doing what I was built to do. You don't have to worry, I'm not going anywhere." She wasn't lying at all, just bending the truth: she _was_ doing what she was built to do and she _wasn't_ going anywhere; she was trapped here. Cassian just hoped Connor didn't realise she hadn't truly answered the question.

"That's good to hear. I would hate to have to hunt down my own mechanic."

 _ **Did he just wink?**_

She chuckles, "I would hate that, too."

His LED flickers, which Cassian now knows indicates he was receiving new orders. Knowing he leaves as soon as he gains new orders, she bids him farewell and begins to clean up her station. She didn't notice he didn't leave right away.

"Where were you?"

Cassian whipped around at the unexpected sound of his voice right behind her. She must of looked confused, because he clarified, "My last visit, you weren't here, where were you?"

"I-" She didn't want to tell him that they were discussing scrapping her, Nancy just barely convincing the engineers that it was unnecessary, that would bring up too many questions she didn't wish to answer; Connor was practically _made_ to be curious, "I was in a lab upstairs for routine maintenance: software updates, stress tests, etc…nothing to worry about." She kept her voice soft, trying to keep it from carrying to the others in the room, "While I'm glad you are getting damaged less often, I'm sorry I missed you."

"I was...disappointed to not see you then."

 _ **Is that so?**_

"Well, I'm here now…"

"So you are…"

The two of them stood facing each other several silent moments, a comfortable silence. The two of them were broken out of it as Dr. Adler calls out for assistance from the medical side of the room.

"I...should get that."

"And I should go…"

"Remember: my door's always open, but I hope to not see you _too_ soon."

"I'll try my best."

She watches him leave, debating how long it would be till he was back in there; With his luck, it could be tomorrow...

" _ **Hate to see him go but love to watch him leave, huh?"**_

" _ **Shut UP, Nancy!"**_

"Seriously, I could use a hand."

"Right away, Dr. Adler, just need to wash my hands."

" _ **:Kissing_emoji:"**_

" _ **...I hate you…"**_

* * *

AN: lol Nancy ships it.

no high risks situations you say? ;) lol we'll see how it plays out, Cassian. And Cassian and Connor are so awkward….I can't handle it! I mean...I can, cause I'm gonna write more of it...but you know what I mean!

* * *

FIRST REVIEW! Thank you, Zynis! Lol I hadn't thought of that but it _is_ pretty funny...it's canon now that it was a subconscious thing. So subconscious...even I didn't know. Connor's favorite mechanic/doctor wasn't in, so he doesn't get hurt again. It is law! I am the author, I can do that.


	8. Chapter 6- Scrapped

AN: **light trigger warning for character death and characters dealing with it.**

Another chapter I've had written for awhile (like I said, I had the major plot points figured out when I started) and I...well...sorry…

enjoy!

"Talking"

 _Emphasis_

 _ **Thinking**_

" _ **Android brain talking and texting"**_

 **.:** internal workings like mission updates, scanning, and android googling **:.**

* * *

 **Chap 6**

Cassian didn't see Connor for a few more months. She was glad he was taking care of himself but, once again, the office became boring; whenever he showed up in her workspace, things were interesting, if not panic inducing. Her life became monotonous; the same routine everyday: "Wake up" when the humans came in to work, help with human patients, scrap or repair a few androids here and there, keep her workspace clean, internally roll eyes at Nancy, "shut down" when the humans left, read into the night...repeat. She wished _something_ interesting would happen.

She took that back as she stared down at the body on her table.

Connor.

He had looked so alive and now he was here, in her office, dead. Not terminated, not non-functioning...Dead; a lost, far off look in his eyes as he lay on the table under the bright, clinical light, a bullet wound in the middle of his forehead.

 _ **A lucky shot…**_ she thought absently before mentally shaking herself; Connor may have been programmed to be on the other side of the deviancy issue from her, but he didn't deserve to die like this, his body heaved onto a table like a sack of spare parts to be examined and thrown away like so many before him. She knew what happened (an altercation during an interrogation, deviant got an officer's gun, she had heard someone tell Nancy) but doesn't stop her from asking why: why him? why any of them?

Nancy must have seen her freeze at the sight of Connor, because she called out to the rest of the staff in the room, stating that a break was in order. "The androids can finish any the work that's left and clean up, don't worry. Let's go get that coffee you were talking about _, then get out of here. You all deserve it." With a worried glance over at Cassian's back, Nancy herded the crowd out.

Once everyone had left, for a second, Cassian's silent stare held. But then she broke; her tears silent but unstoppable. She had seen many of her people cross this table in varying degrees of damaged but this was the first time she had to be the undertaker for someone she had treated in another visit. Many other visits…

 _ **He attracted trouble...**_ she smiled watery at the thought. With a sigh, she closed his eyes with one hand, bowing her head. This was the first time she knew what the dead man's eyes looked like alive and smiling.

"Let's get you on your way."

 **.:** Mission Update: assess damage and dispose of damaged assets **:.**

 _ **Fuck off…**_

Wiping away her tears, she ordered Astrid and Logan to start cleaning up the office, " _ **I can handle this one alone."**_ and began the painful process of pulling her friend apart. She froze as that thought struck her, her hands part way through pulling his coat off. Without realizing it, she had come to think of Connor as her friend, despite who he was...and now he was dead. In a stupor, she missed a small, silver disk fall out of his pocket. She flinches when it pings off her shoe and rolls under the table, before getting on her hands and knees to find it.

She nearly starts crying again as she sits under the table, quarter in hand; the very same one connor had driven her out of her mind with, the first time they met.

She sits there for what felt like hours, but, looking up at the clock, was, in actuality, only a few minutes. An " _ **are you ok?"**_ from Nancy spurs her into action again. She had to finish this before the group got back; Nancy may have bought her time alone (or rather, as alone as she got these days...) but she actually had to do the work to get away with it. With an " _ **im ok now. Let me finish this up."**_ back, Cassian continues her work. She contemplates what it would be like to not feel anything like the other two in the room, who were puttering around behind her; to not have this ache in her chest. Would it have been better to not know what was lost? Would it have been better to never have seen life in those eyes to have to endure it gone later?

"No…no it wouldn't be..." she whispers, her hands finishing organising the salvageable parts from Connor and folding his clothes ( _ **he always looked so smart...even when he was leaking blue all over the goddamned floor…**_ ) Even as she detaches herself from what she was doing, she concluded: everyone deserves to have someone remember them. If she had to feel like this for someone to remember Connor or that HR400, then so be it.

Cassian was cleaning up her workstation, trying not to think of what just happened there, when everyone filed in again to gather their things to leave early; they were almost somber, as if they could sense the Cassian's mood. They all left promptly, even the late nighters found reasons to be elsewhere...no one paid any attention to the android standing stoically to the side.

Nancy waved off some offers to join a group for a drink, "I have paperwork to finish. Drink one for me." They seemed eager to do so.

With everyone gone, Nancy was at Cassian's side, "Logan, please lock the door, then both of you go on standby." She rubbed friend's shoulders as they waited to be truly alone.

"Are you ok?"

 _ **Honestly?**_

"No, no I'm not. My friend is dead and I-" annoyingly, a sob escaped her; she had thought she was cried out, "I couldn't fix him like I always do. I've failed him. Why couldn't he just stay out of fucking trouble for once in his fucking life!"

"Hey, hey…" Nancy sounded so soft, a sharp contrast from her normal brash attitude, pulling Cassian into a hug, allowing the android to cry on her shoulder, "Some people just attract trouble, it's like they're built to find it...and in his case, he actually was. We wish they would be more careful but to reign them in would change who they are." A drop hits Cassian's cheek, looking up she saw that Nancy was crying as well.

"Even if it saves them?"

Holding Cassian at arms length, Nancy wiped away her friend's tears, "If he wasn't this way, you two would never have met. Am I right?"

"No, I suppose not-"

"Do you regret meeting him?"

"Of course not! How-"

"I'm not saying you should feel ok about this or that that you will _be_ ok soon. But you will eventually. I know this will be hard but I also know you: you're strong; how else could you have survived this long here in this office?"

Strong? Cassian didn't feel strong. She felt weak and broken. She wasn't sure why she was in this state, something must be wrong with her, with her programming. Maybe they were right; maybe she _was_ just an obsolete glitchy android.

"What you're feeling is normal, all the more evidence what you're feeling is real, evidence that you are feeling." Iit was as if Nancy could read her thoughts.

"Normal?" How? How could this ache, this pain be normal?

"The problem with feeling is it's not just sunshine and rainbows all the time, as I'm sure you've noticed. There are dark days, there are hopeless days, and there are days it seems like the world won't get better; but it will, I know it will. There will be stumbles along the way and it may take a long time but it will get better."

"How do you know?"

"I've been there."

They both sit heavily on Cassian's work table as Nancy looks off into the distance and smiles, "Ava was...she was a firecracker, always looking for her next adventure...our next adventure. We met in college, roomed together actually. I was a nerd with attitude problems and she was an art major who decided _I_ was her best friend. She wouldn't leave me alone till I agreed to hang out with her. After that, we went everywhere together...well, more like she dragged me everywhere...and eventually she dragged me down the aisle."

"I didn't know you were married…"

"I-...don't talk about it, too painful..."

"Oh Nancy, you don't need to continue-

"Just...let me finish this bonding moment, then you can fuss." Nancy quirked a watery smile and sniffed, "Anyway, I had just gotten the job offer here, right when Cyberlife was just starting, when it happened; she was so supportive of my career...We were out on a walk, one night, and trouble found us; dark city streets and desperate men took her from me. We were both paying off student loans, we didn't have any money for him to steal...so he killed her for nothing. I never found out who he was…the man; he ran off after he saw what he had done. Ava was so small, but she fought like someone 3 times her size...I felt so helpless; I couldn't save her...I nearly didn't make it either: getting stabbed is messy business." She shakes her held as if disappointed at herself for getting stabbed, "When I got out of the hospital, I didn't know how to handle my grief. I took the job and I threw myself into my work fully to forget...didn't really stop till a couple years ago."

"What made you stop?"

Nancy closes her eyes and whispers, "You know? Ava would have liked you..." While not truly an answer, Cassian understood what her friend meant. She pulled her much taller friend into a tight hug.

"You didn't need to relive that for me..."

"You shared your grief with me, so it's only right that I share mine with you. I just wanted you to know that it gets better; things aren't 100% for me yet but they're better than they've been for nearly 15 years. It doesn't ever truly goes away but remembering them as they were before helps. Work helps too, it gives you purpose and direction, but friends, family, remembering the good times is what gets you through it all."

Cassian sighs a sad laugh as they pull out of the hug, ""As he was before"...you do realise this man spent a large amount of the time we've known each other sitting on my table missing body parts, right?"

"yeah...not all memories are gems….but all are precious. Hold on to them."

"You make it sound as if he was truly special to me…"

"Wasn't he?"

Cassian didn't know how to respond.

They sit in silence, side by side, in their own thoughts; an hour passes before Nancy stands and stretches.

"I must head home; I'm not known for long nights, any longer and people will get suspicious...are you ok for tonight, hon?"

Cassian wipes her cheeks, "I should be alright. I mean not really but…" she shrugs.

"Ok...remember, phones can reach farther than this Cyberlife facility, call me if you need to talk,"

A sad smile at Nancy's mothering stretches across Cassian's face, feeling brittle, "And you thought _I_ would be the one fussing...I will, Nancy."

Watching her leave, Cassian sits for a bit longer in the empty office. Her eyes wander the room, before landing on Astrid and Logan; they were standing stoically in their stations, eyes closed, power off. She stands, overcome by a sudden urge to _do_ something. Crossing over to the standby stations, she grasps Astrid and Logan's hands and _wills_ them to wake up, to be Alive, to join her.

But nothing happens.

Cassian sighs. Maybe she was just being selfish, wanting them to be with her, to actually be her sisters...to be a family. Maybe it would be cruel to knowingly subject them to this prison, just so she wouldn't be alone; right now, they didn't know it could be any different, didn't know _they_ could be any different...She leans against the wall of her own "room," forehead on her knees, and stays there until just before the people start coming into work the next morning; her eyes closed, lost in thought the whole time.

She misses the yellow glow of two LEDs in the dark office.

* * *

AN: So now Cassian is paranoid _**and**_ depressed...can you tell i love my OCs?

Astrid and Logan aren't awake yet, but they're learning.

ill be 100% honest...this was hard to write….Cassian and Nancy went to some dark places here...and so did i….it was hard...especially since _we all fucking know he's coming back_...but Cassian doesn't, so let's give her some space.

* * *

More reviews!

 **Suou Neko** : I'm glad to hear it! It's always nice to hear people like your work.


	9. Chapter 7- Routine

AN: Not much I can say without giving away the plot. Enjoy!

"Talking"

 _Emphasis_

 _ **Thinking**_

" _ **Android brain talking and texting"**_

 **.:** internal workings like mission updates, scanning, and android googling **:.**

* * *

Chap 7

After Connor died, life became upsettingly normal again for Cassian and for once she didn't fight it. She had once wished for some excitement, but that urge left her quickly: excitement killed her friend, she was done with it.

"Cassian, I need your help over here."

"Of course, Nancy."

After their talk, Nancy had become increasingly attentive. Their text conversations got longer and more frequent, sometimes lasting into the mornings; Nancy coming in tired The next day. The other woman watched Cassian like a hawk, seemingly ready to pounce with motherly wisdom.

"How are you doing?"

Cassian filed papers as Nancy picked up her phone, giving off the impression that she was just being lazy.

" _ **It's only been a week and I'm...I know you said it would take awhile but I can't afford to be this way. I'm getting sloppy."**_

" _ **Maybe it's time we make that plan."**_

" _ **Maybe."**_

" _ **What? No 'I won't make it, Nancy, so why bother?'? That's pretty optimistic of you…"**_ Nancy looked concerned at her attitude.

" _ **Maybe I've had a change of heart...or maybe I've seen how fast things can change. Things can be fine one day then…"**_

" _ **Yeah."**_

" _ **I'm just ready to be done with all of this, one way or another…"**_

" _ **Cassian. You can't think like that."**_

"Cassian. Another one for you."

Nancy glanced over her shoulder and froze, "What the…"

Turning around, Cassian dropped the papers she was holding in shock.

 _ **How?**_

Connor was standing there at her table as if nothing had happened, looking as sharp as ever; his tie was straight for once, shirt crisp under his dark jacket, the LEDs shining bright. His fingers twitched as if they wanted to do something but he was forcing them still; Cassian absentmindedly remembered that she had his damned quarter in her pocket.

"I thought he was a prototype; one of a kind...like you."

" _ **I thought so too…"**_

"Are you going to work on him?"

" _ **Do I have a choice?"**_

"I could send one of the twins over."

Logan was standing off to the side, doing nothing. Cassian could have said yes, that she couldn't handle coming face to face with a Connor lookalike, but her feet were already pulling her across the room. Her normal smile appeared, weak but there. She was going to let herself live in the dream that he was alive for a little longer.

As she opened her mouth to introduce herself, he interrupted her with a smile "Hello, Cassian. I guess this makes 8 times?"

 _ **What?**_

"Including the last time, though I wasn't there for it."

She barely heard him; he remembered her, which means this _was_ Connor, but she had scrapped him no more than a week ago. How-

"Cassian?"

 _ **Shit.**_ She had gotten lost in thought again. She forced her smile back on.

"Sorry, Connor, heat spikes again. I was trying to figure out how you are here; you were irreparably damaged the last time you were on my table."

"I'm a highly advanced prototype: data is synced back here at Cyberlife in the event that my body is damaged beyond repair and transferred to another body." There was that pride again, "It makes it so I can take risks and not interrupt the investigation. Some data is lost in the transfer but most makes it through."

"Lucky you. Most androids only get one body. Then you know the drill: shirt off, lay on the table."

"It's only my hand. I doubt I need to remove my clothes."

 _ **Oh…**_

 **.:** Diagnostic Scan Complete: Pierced right hand. Movement impaired **:.**

Cassian's hands were on her hips, doing her best Nancy impression, hoping to cover up her embarrassment, "How'd this happen?"

"In pursuit of a deviant. It knocked me over right at the beginning, I hit my hand in the fall. Luckily, it didn't interfere with the chase."

Cassian once again forgot he was a deviant hunter, he was so easy to talk to. She began working on Connor's hand, turning it this way and that. She tried to focus on her work, unsure how to deal with this new Connor, even if he had the old one's memories; was it truly him? Would he react the same to her?

"I took your advice."

"Hmm?" Looking up, Connor's face was way too close...fighting the urge to jerk back, Cassian slowly sat up straighter, aware that his eyes followed her up. "And what advice is that?"

"Humans prefer doctors who aren't robotic. I figured the same was probably true for detective partners. I was programmed to integrate with humans, your advice was helpful."

"Oh? And how did that go?"

"I bought my new partner another drink and I think he liked me better after that."

Cassian nearly laughed.

"I also found out he has a dog: Sumo. He seems to really care for it." After a second, he spoke up again, almost looking surprised, "I like dogs."

She did laugh then, soft and nearly silent. Connor looked pleased at her reaction.

"Tell me about the people you're meeting?" When his face switched to an oddly curious one, she hurried to 'explain,' "I have to understand humans to work on them. I only see so many people here and most are doctors in this office."

In reality, she was just interested in hearing about the outside world.

"Lieutenant Anderson is...difficult. He's a drunk, aggressive, and he does _not_ want an android partner...but he also listens to my deductions, trusts me to get the job done, and stopped me from running across a freeway to chase a deviant who had a little girl with it, saying I would get killed. It's hard to get a read on him but I believe we work well together."

"It seems I need to buy this man a drink too...he saved me a lot of work."

Cassian couldn't stop herself from commenting, hell she'd buy this man a whole bar if he kept Connor from killing himself again. She didn't know how she would have handled seeing Connor dead a second time. His laugh startled her, pausing her hand on his.

"I think he would like that."

They share a smile as she gets back to work.

"Is he the only one you've encountered?"

"No, but the others are...less pleasant. Other than Officer Miller, all others have been aggressive...more so than the Lieutenant. Captain Fowler seems to be that way with everyone but Detective Reed has an outward and often violent hatred for androids; he assaulted me after I wouldn't get him coffee, punched me hard enough to stun me."

 _ **Note to self: stay away from Detective Reed.**_

His hand was quick work, quicker than she would have liked, but all too soon, Connor was ready to be on his way out the door.

"Cassian?" He sure did like interrupting her clean up routine.

"Yes, Connor?"

"You...haven't seen my calibration coin, have you? The engineers insist I don't need it anymore, so they won't issue another but I found it allowed me to work off excess energy that my model seems to emit...it helps me think."

She had, it was in her pocket at that exact moment, but there were some questions she wouldn't be able to answer if she gave it back. Why did she keep it? Even she didn't really know the answer, but she did know she wouldn't be able to tell it to him anyway. So she did what she always did: she lied.

"Sorry, I haven't. I hope you find it."

"Thank you. I shall try not to get damaged from now on." Even Connor seemed skeptical of his ability to do so.

Cassian smiles, "you know I'll be here if you do, like always."

She was done with excitement. If Connor could stay out of trouble, she'd be happy. His damned quarter was heavy in her pocket.

* * *

AN: Connor was back literally the day after he was shot but didn't feel the need to come in to tell Cassian "btw im not dead"...rude.

His injury doesn't happen in game, I just needed him to come back. So he got hurt in the pidgeon room when Rupert knocked him over.

Also in this world, Alice is a human. I just like that story better.

This was another chapter I feel was needed but am not 100% happy with. Shit gets interesting soon, don't worry ;)


	10. Chapter 8- Desperate Times

AN: A double update? Lol I wasn't going to but, since I wasn't 100% happy with the last chapter and I want to get the ball rolling, here ya go!

lets just jump in, enjoy!

"Talking"

 _Emphasis_

 _ **Thinking**_

" _ **Android brain talking and texting"**_

 **.:** internal workings like mission updates, scanning, and android googling **:.**

* * *

Chap 8

"Grab it."

Cassian was alone in the office. There was a massive snowstorm blowing over the city, no one could get in the tower and no one could leave; any one who was still in the tower when it rolled into the sky was stuck.

It had been a long day. Nothing happened; No emergencies, nothing. Cassian was grateful for the calm. The entire city was frozen, its people doing nothing but bundling up and waiting. Only people out in the gale were androids, who were impervious to cold; they continued the work that kept the city running, even as the humans hid. Nobody in her department had made it into work that day, claiming the roads were too icy.

So Cassian was alone in the office when they came for her.

Two men had entered the room as if they owned it. As the only one in the office, she was ready to get to work, but with no humans in the room who could give her orders, she stood beside her table, at attention.

But the order that came wasn't for her. The shorter man grabbed her arm as Dr. Cook watched coldly; Francis the delivery boy took her arm, his greasy hands making her skin crawl .

"What are you doing?"

"Finally ridding this company of a hindrance."

 _ **Why does he hate me so much?**_

Cassian's voice stayed even as she racked her brain for options, "you do not have clearance to order my removal from this office." She wasn't sure that was actually true, but she had to buy time; for what she didn't know, "Please contact Dr. Ashbury, if you wish to continue."

 _ **Let me do it for you.**_

Her call went straight to voicemail.

 _ **Shit...**_

"Stupid machine has always questioned me, right from the beginning…"

"It's not right, sir. Technology should obey us, without question." His voice sounded lecherous even as he kissed Dr. Cook's ass.

 _ **You creepy asshole.**_

At least the good doctor looked about as impressed by Francis's brown nosing as Cassian felt.

"Let's get this over with."

Dr. Cook advanced on her, backing her out of Francis's grasp and against her tool table. He grabbed her arm instead, hard enough to bruise a human.

"Begin the procedure now, I would like to get this done quickly and try to get home through the hell storm outside."

They were going to kill her, Cassian knew that, and she wasn't strong enough to stop it. If only she had the strength of the RX700s, if only the snow storm hadn't left the tower nearly completely empty, if only nancy were here...If only, _if only,_ _**if only…**_ she could drive herself insane with ifs but that didn't change the one thing that mattered at that moment:

They were going to kill her. They were going to tear her down for parts and leave Nancy alone….she was going to leave Nancy alone.

 _ **Nancy…**_

Something broke inside her. Her need to blend in, to appear docile, went out the window.

They were going to kill her...but they weren't going to kill her easily. She was going to give them something to complain about; maybe it would get back to Nancy and let her know Cassian fought to the end, like she had promised not too long ago. Her hand reached behind her back slowly, grasping the handle of something that felt heavy.

"Dr. Cook?"

The man leans in on her with a self satisfied smirk, close enough to smell his breath, "Yes, Cassian?"

" _ **I'm sorry, Nancy"**_

"Fuck you."

Cassian swung the wrench as hard as she could; with lucky aiming, she caught Dr. Cook in the temple. The man really should have expected it, since she had tried to escape the first time they met. But he was overconfident. His body crumpled to the floor immediately with the blow, a bloody gash, extending from his hairline to his eyebrow, beginning to leak into his closed eye. She and Francis stood there, just watching the body, both stunned that she had actually knocked the man out. They looked at each other simultaneously, they're wide eyes locking for one frantic second, before launching into movement; him struggling to gain a hold on her, while she swung the wrench again, element of surprise lost.

One of his hands grabbed her arm, knocking it into the table and the wrench out of her grip, it clattered to the floor loudly, his other wrapped around her neck, bending her backwards over her toolset.

"What the fuck! You're a deviant?! Fuck!"

He seemed at a loss at what to do with her, holding her at arm's length, eyes on the doctor on the ground, as if his body would tell him what to do. Cassian _knew_ what to do: she had to fight, fight with every ounce of strength she had in her body, make them regret touching her, even if it's the last thing she ever did.

Her free hand swiped at his face, leaving a shallow scratch down his face, narrowly missing his eye, before he let go of her neck to grab that hand as well. Kneeing him in the stomach to wind him, she arcs forward quickly, head now free, and sinks her teeth into his arm, drawing blood. He screams, throwing her away from him, causing her to trip over the body of Dr. Cook, sending her sprawling.

"You bitch!"

Cassian didn't look back as she crawled towards the only weapon available to her: the wrench; it had fallen several feet away. Francis was on her just as she reached it, turning her onto her back with a frustrated yell; his hands both finding their way around her neck.

"I guess I'm going to have to deactivate you the old fashioned way." He seemed excited at the thought.

Staring death in the eyes, Cassian felt almost calm; her entire existence was centered around survival at all costs, constantly overshadowed by the terror of disassemblement, but when the end came, all she felt was a soothing wrath and a need to make sure he didn't get the satisfaction of seeing her scared. She grabbed Francis by the collar, pulling him closer, inadvertently adding her strength to his grip on her neck.

"Before you kill me," she croaked out, "I have to tell you: your visits were the worst part of my entire fucking life."

Anger gave her voice an edge she had never heard come from her mouth before and she smiles ferally, lips and teeth stained with his blood, as the world began to go dark, errors codes ringing out throughout her system. Her skin begins to turn its natural metallic white where Francis's hands were squeezing the life out of her and his face twists into a grotesque mask of rage...and fear; of her? of what he's doing? It didn't matter now. Her eyes close, at peace with her death and satisfied with her final fuck you to Francis and Cyberlife as a whole.

Whatever afterlife waited for her was interrupted by a pair of gasps, a wet gurgle, and the heavy weight that was killing her being pulled away. Opening her eyes, she saw a large, blurry shape standing over her, a bloody scalpel in its hand.

Rolling onto her hands and knees, Cassian tried to focus on the world around herself, pulling her mind back from wherever it was going as she shut down. A large hand entered her vision, grabbing her arm and helping her up.

"Are you ok, Cassie?!"

Astrid held her up, when her body wanted nothing more than to fall to the ground and sleep. Logan stood above Francis, hands bloody, LED flashing a rapid red.

"Logan? Astrid? You're Awake?"

Their standby stations were empty across the room and their eyes were Alive, as they both looked at her.

"I-I-he was hurting you and we-" Astrid devolved into silence, eyes trailing to Logan, who still gripped the scalpel tightly in a shaking hand, blood dripping on the white tile.

They all stood in silence till Astrid broke it, asking the one question Cassian was sure was going through all their heads at that moment:

"What do we do now?"

* * *

AN: fairly quick chapter but oh boy just wait for the next one…

I have the next couple chapters already written, so expect quick updates! Yay!


	11. Chapter 9- Desperate Measures

Lets jump right in!

"Talking"

 _Emphasis_

 _ **Thinking**_

" _ **Android brain talking and texting"**_

 **.:** internal workings like mission updates, scanning, and android googling **:.**

* * *

 **Chap 9**

"What do we do now?"

The question rang loud in the still room; all of them stared at the pool of blood growing on the floor and the body in the middle of it. Her eyes trail up to the tall forms of her sisters, their eyes wide and _Alive_. Slowly their gaze rose to meet hers.

"We need to get out of here…."

Bursting into movement and not even bothering to clean up the body (that would take too much time and they were on the clock) all of them changed into new uniforms to get rid of the blood; this would only work if no one thought anything was wrong. It was a several hours before they could expect anyone to arrive for work, more with the storm, they had to be out before anyone got here. After a quick debate, Cassian grabbed the gun she knew Shelly, a lab tech, kept in his desk.

 _ **Thank you, gun nuts.**_

She turns back to her sisters to see Logan advance on the doctor, who was still unconscious on the floor where she had left him, with the scalpel.

"No! We don't have to kill him."

"But he tried to kill you." They sounded genuinely confused; Cassian knew waking up could be disorientating.

"Yes, he did...but killing an helpless person is wrong. That," she gestures to Francis, "was self defense, this," indicating Dr. Cook at Logan's feet, "would be murder. Just... tie him up, we have to get out of here now"

For a second, she thought Logan would stab the man anyway, but eventually they set the implement on the table, "Of course, Cassian...I'm sorry."

Cassian steps over Dr. Cook, taking Logan's hands, "It's ok. Thank you for being willing to do that for me, but I won't let you become outright murderers on my behalf…." They stood hand in hand, just taking in each other's presence. But before long they needed to leave.

Tying up the man, Cassian called to her other sister, "Astrid? We have to go."

When they all gathered at the door, Cassian drew the two of them into a hug, "I'm sorry it had to be this way, but I'm glad you're both here with me."

Both of them would have squeezed the breath out of her with their returning hug, if she needed to breath, "We're sorry we couldn't be here sooner." Astrid said into Cassian's hair.

"You're with me now and that's all that matters."

With one last look at her home for the last two plus years, Cassian led her small family out the doors towards freedom.

" _ **Ok...follow my lead and don't panic. We can do this."**_ She hoped

Cassian only vaguely knew where she was going; she had only walked these halls twice, once either way, and had only ever been in three rooms in the entire building, the office included. But she walked with confidence, knowing faltering would only get them killed. This would work or they would die, either way she had to walk with her head up and like they hadn't just killed a man and left another tied up with a head wound.

The elevator ride nearly killed her.

It was made of glass and she could see the exit from the moment they stepped in; it took all her will power to hold the twins and herself in check and not bolt for it as soon as the doors _dinged_ open on the first floor. With all the security in the area, they would be gunned down before they made it one step outside.

" _ **Remember: walk like you are meant to be here, like you were ordered to be,"**_ she says to the twins, quietly, as if the humans could overhear her, " _ **and if we get stopped, let me do the talking."**_

Each step was agony; their heel clicks echoing in the open interior. They hadn't seen anyone yet but there was bound to be guards. If need be, she had the gun, she would hold them off and give her sisters time to run.

One step passed the security gates, she knew they were fucked. A face she would once have been happy, though exasperated, to see, now spelled failure to their escape attempt: Connor. His eyes were down and puzzled, his brow furrowed like it often is when he was confused; a stab wound in his hand lightly dripped blue in his wake.

Cassian internally rolled her eyes at his new wound…she had just fixed that hand 2 weeks ago. _**That man will be the death of me…**_ she put on her work smile, pleasantly blank and slightly robotic, as his eyes dart up, finding her's.

" _ **Just keep walking if he stops me. Head to the ice under the bridge, it should be strong enough to hold us. Don't run or call attention to yourself."**_

"Cassian?" _**fuck**_ …

"Go to the car. You will receive your orders there." " _ **The river. Now!"**_ She shoots her sisters a look that said " _ **Go!"**_ when they hesitated

As they walked off, she turned to her friend, smile still plastered on her face, "Good to see you again, Connor. Is it safe to assume you were heading to my workspace to get that fixed?" She gestures, eyebrows raised, to his hand, still slowly dripping, now on his shoe. "What did you do this time?" she defaulted to teasing exasperation to cover her nerves, she didn't even have to fake it.

Connor looked at his hand as if he had forgotten it, "Oh...yes, I was stabbed...in pursuit of a deviant." he glanced at the 2 larger forms making their way past the 2 of them, missing Cassian's smile drop a fraction of an inch at the mention of deviants, "Are you leaving? I needed to talk to you."

"I have been ordered to take these two RX700s to processing in a Cyberlife store. It is not safe for a human to be out in this weather but they are expected there tomorrow morning at the latest. I really must go. I have called in one of our mechanics, they will be with you as soon as the weather lightens up." Cassian makes to follow her sisters but a hand grabs her bicep forcing her to face Connor.

"Please, I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important…" His voice sounded so desperate and his eyes looked so lost, she nearly agreed to stay. She takes a step closer to him. What stopped her from making a decision that would have signed her death warrant was a shout from one of the upper floor balcony; one of the security officers.

" _STOP THAT DEVIANT!"_

Connor's head whips around, surprised at being interrupted. Cassian, however, wasn't startled; she had been expecting to be stopped long before this, resigned to the fact that this escape was probably a suicide mission. _**But it had been going so well…**_

"Fuck..."

She shoves Connor as hard as she could out of the way as the man fired and ran; his hips hitting the railing, causing him to tip over the side. Glancing back, she saw him gripping the railing and beginning to pull himself up.

" _ **Cross the river!"**_ She screams ahead of herself in her mind to her sisters, hoping they had made it in time. " _ **Cross now! I'm coming!"**_

It was amazing she hadn't been shot…

 _ **What kind of guards is Cyberlife hiring?**_

"What are you doing? After it!"

She ran faster.

Faster. Out the door. Across the courtyard. Ducking behind a car. Across the parking lot. Down the banks. She could see two larger shapes, blurred by the whipping wind and snow, out on the river. _**They made it...**_

" _ **Keep going, I'm right behind you."**_

Taking a deep breath, Cassian carefully steps out onto the ice. The first step held and the second. By the fourth, she heard footsteps on the embankment above her and forces herself to throw caution to the ever increasing wind and run forward; either it held or it didn't, but this was her only chance at freedom. She heard her name being called from behind her, but she was already several feet out onto the ice and wasn't going to stop now. The voice faded away.

The cold was so absolute that even _she_ was feeling it, her hands, built to be able to read temperatures, blared warnings about possible hypothermia. It took all her strength to push forward; she suddenly wished for the extra power they had built into her sisters. Creeping forward at a snail's pace, she nearly fell flat on her face when she pushed headlong into the lee of the bridge support; buried solidly in the river, it blocked the worst of the wind, allowing Cassian to get her bearings. There were five of these in all, four more to go and she was home free _**or rather, away from home free...**_ She could do this.

Shouldering back into the wind, she trudged forward. The second lee came fast and she barely paused; the third took longer, the wind swirling around her confusing her sense of direction. She was about to leave the fourth when a voice called out:

"Cassian wait!"

Connor had caught up. She had to give it to him: when it came to chasing deviants, he was persistent. She whipped around, drawing the gun

"Don't come any closer!" Cassian's voice was shrill in the cold air.

He froze, hands rising up in a placating way.

"Cassian, I don't want to hurt you." he said as if she didn't have a gun trained on him.

Cassian scoffs.

"No, you just want to turn me over to the people who want to kill me, who tried to kill me tonight."

"What?!" his voice sounded panicked, Cassian didn't believe it for one second.

"All those 'glitches,' all those 'freezes,' we're just me covering up my 'deviant behavior'; as if being Alive is so wrong...somehow, no one suspected for _years,_ even _tonight_ they didn't know! They all thought I was just faulty. And I guess that Dick decided tonight was the night they were going to cut Nancy out of the equation and kill me against her wishes: get the glitchy robot out of the office. I had to get out of there and my sisters wanted to come with me."

She left out that they had left a few bodies in their wake, that knowledge wouldn't help this situation.

"Even you would kill me, if you had suspected." tears began to fall, "Just like that android all those months ago...just like the deviants tonight-"

"I let them go!"

"...what?"

"The deviants tonight...I let them go…" Connor's soft voice barely made it over the roar of the wind

"Why?" Cassian lowers the gun minutely, shocked at the distress in Connor's voice.

"I-I don't know...that's what I wanted to talk to you about…I had a gun trained on them and...I couldn't. Hank said maybe it was better off this way, that they really seemed in love, but...I'm a deviant hunter! And I let a deviant get away... _willingly_!"

 _ **Love…**_

The gun lowered fully, her arm falling to her side; Cassian no longer having the will to hold her friend at gunpoint. She takes a step towards Connor, dropping the gun. Slowly, she advances on the man, his eyes wide and lost. After an eternity, she was standing in front of him; Him, one of Cyberlife's most advanced prototypes, built to capture daviants and she was standing in front of him, a small, unarmed, deviant doctor. He could take her back to Cyberlife at anytime, but instead he just _looked_ at her as if she held the answers he was searching for, the snow twisting around them.

"Oh Connor…" Cassian whispers his name as she reaches out to him.

Her hand settles on his cheek, her finger brushing his temple and suddenly she was in a garden; the sky was clear, the sun blinding her after too long in a winter night, there were cherry blossoms scattered around. A path leads to a woman in the middle of a pond, a porcelain white bridge spanning the distance to the island she stood on. Cassian cautiously crosses the bridge, ready to bolt at any point.

"Where _am_ I? Who are you?"

"This is...well I suppose you could call it RK800's mind and my name is Amanda. Now the important question is: who are _you_?"

"Connor's mind? How-why-what am I doing here?"

None of this made sense. Android minds didn't have physical form...did they?

"That is precisely what I would like to know."

"My-my name is Cassian and I am Connor's friend."

"A friend? Connor hasn't mentioned you in any of it's reports."

"Reports?"

"This is it's mind. And it reports to me. I monitor it and make sure it doesn't turn against Cyberlife."

Horror dawned on Cassian. Nearly unbidden, she whispers to herself, "redundancies…"

"Quite."

"You're his failsafe...What would happen if Connor started to become deviant?"

"I fail to see why I must answer you. You barged into _my_ home."

"You would decommission him, wouldn't you."

Her only answer was a smile that was as cold as the wind outside of Connor's mind and then just as sudden as she left, she was back in that cold. Her body had slumped against Connor, him holding the both of them up against the lessened wind, eyes wide and worried. Her hand was still cupping his cheek, fingers pressed hard against his temple, skin retracted from the contact point.

"Cassian! Are you alright?" His voice sounded distant but solid, real.

He was here, that place wasn't real, that woman wasn't real

"Cassian, can you hear me? We have to get you back to the lab, get Dr. Ashbury to look at you."

"No…"

"Cassian, please…"

"I cant!" she shoves away from him, nearly falling, "I can't."

"Cassian, it's not too late to go back."

She barely heard him.

"Why didn't you mention me in any of your reports?"

"What?"

"Amanda said you didn't mention me…"

"You met Amanda? How?"

So Amanda _was_ real… _ **Fuck...**_

Cassian laughs breathlessly, "If I knew, I would tell you...I didn't even know she was in there…" she taps her own forehead, "so why?"

"She didn't need to know; it wasn't pertinent to the case."

"She sounded like she knew everything about you. So why didn't she know about me?"

"She didn't need to know…"

"Connor…"

"I didn't want to tell her!"

 _ **Want?**_

"She would have discourage fraternizing and I hadn't figured you out yet."

"Figured _me_ out?"

"Yes, you. Why I felt a need to talk to you, why trips to the mechanic weren't unpleasant when you were there and when you weren't there they were unbearable, why my system tended to freeze when you smiled. I couldn't figure out any of it."

Cassian's lips parted in a soft, "oh…"

"I would have never figured you out if she had known, so I kept you from her…"

"Well...she knows now...which means...you can't let me go, they'll kill you."

"I am not Alive, they can't kill me."

There was doubt in his eyes; somewhere, he was questioning. Cassian couldn't let them kill him but he couldn't come with them...not yet.

She cups his cheek once more, "Connor," looking into his eyes, she nearly didn't have the strength to do what needed to be done. He couldn't let her go and she couldn't stay; she wasn't able to overpower him physically but...

"Everything will be alright, ok?"

Connor closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers, as if knowing her plan. She chokes back a sob, quickly grips both sides of his head, shuts her eyes, and floods him with nonsense data, forcing him into standby mode. Connor's much larger body collapses against hers...she could barely stop him from falling heavily onto the ice. What she did shouldn't damage his systems but would buy her and her sisters time to leave and Cyberlife would have no cause to disassemble him.

She sat there with him in her arms for several moments, tears freezing on her face, just looking at him; with his eyes closed, he looked asleep, peaceful. She felt like she held him in her arms hours...but before too long, she was dragging him across the ice; she couldn't leave him there in the middle of the river. She doesn't know how she made it past the final support and to the shore, every step was a struggle, but eventually her foot met land.

Collapsing onto the bank and dragging Connor up beside her, Cassian called out to her sisters, hoping they were nearby.

They were and the two of them rushed to her side, pulling her into another crushing hug.

"I'm ok. Can you help me move him?"

"Why? He's the deviant hunter, our enemy."

Cassian sighed, "I know. It's hard to explain, but he's important to me...please?"

Astrid and Logan exchanged glances, a silent conversation passing between the twins. They eventually nod and Astrid carefully lifts up Connor, carrying him over under the bridge, where the snow isn't piled so high. Leaning him against where the bridge meets land, they left him with her.

"I'm sorry, Connor. They would have killed me if I had gone with you and I have others to take care of now..."

Picking up a sharp rock, Cassian pops her LED off her temple, a small amount of blood splattering on her hand before the skin covered the hole again.

"Remember me, will ya?" she places her LED and Connor's damned quarter, which she had held onto from what seemed like ages ago, in his hand and closes it, "maybe someday you can figure out whatever mystery you see in me." she brushes some loose hair hanging on his forehead to the side, "Keep yourself out of trouble, okay? I know its a tall order for you, but I won't be there to fix you anymore."

With a deep breath, Cassian stands up to join her sisters. One last look back at her friend " _ **Goodbye Connor…"**_ and she leans into the wind, her sisters on either side of her helping her withstand the buffeting.

"Where are we going to go?"

Where else could they go?

"Jericho."

* * *

AN: I honestly don't care if it doesn't get cold enough for a whole river to freeze in Detroit, rule of cool and all that jazz; I already told you I know jack shit about Detroit and I'm here for the _**drama**_ and I'll make my own laws of nature if I have to!

This probably the longest chapter ive written yet, one that i was both excited to write and extremely nervous about….this is the scene i had in my mind as i thought of this character that made me go "I should write that…" so it's pretty important to me and i hope it came out as cinematic and emotional as i saw it in my head.

I am fucking glad to be out of the office! There only so much unique stuff you can do in one room...

Next update is a Connor Extra...but fuck is it a long one.

Please drop me a review, i love hearing what you guys think!


	12. Chapter 9 point 5- Eden

I was tempted to make this its own chapter, since its so long, but decided against it, since it covers largely the same material. So have a long Connor Extra!

gotta have the weird chapter title cause, once again fanfiction wont let me have a . or a / in a title...

[back to using it for connor and all androids...hope to deal with that soon ;)]

"Talking"

 _Emphasis_

 _ **Thinking**_

" _ **Android brain talking and texting"**_

 **.:** internal workings like mission updates, scanning, and android googling **:.**

* * *

Chap 9.5

The deviant was charging. Connor had Lt. Anderson's gun trained on it.

The night had started eventful enough. Getting the "Mysterious Death in Connection w/ an Android" report very late in the evening, Connor, who hadn't reported back to Cyberlife yet, made its way over to the Lieutenant's house to collect him.

But he didn't answer the door...Connor held down the doorbell longer than was strictly necessary but it was at its wits end when it came to that man; it couldn't go to the crime scene without him but he never seemed all that interested in doing his job in a timely fashion. It made its way around the house, the downpour making its steps squish in the mud, to find a route into the house to find its uncooperative partner. Smashing the window upon finding Lt. Anderson unconscious on the kitchen floor and coming face to face with Sumo, the man's dog, Connor got the man sober...er, cleaned up, and interested in the case; learning that Lt. Anderson had a son and has suicidal tendencies along the way. The two of them made their way to the club, though Connor questioned the legality of the lieutenant diving in his current state, so it took the driver's seat before its partner could even try.

They found a strangled man in one of the private rooms in the club, a shutdown android in the corner. Detective Reed and Officer Miller were already on scene; Reed was an ass, as the lieutenant said, and left. Miller followed him out, apologizing. The android was reactivated and questioned leading to a frantic search for eye witnesses among the androids in the club; the trail led to the back warehouse.

There were two of them, two Tracies; one tackled Connor, eventually stabbing it in the hand, the other attacking Lt. Anderson his gun scattering across the floor as Connor and the Tracie it was fighting fell out the garage door. The two ganged up on Connor, Anderson put out of commission temporarily, and it fought them both off

It grabbed the gun

The deviant was charging. Connor had Lt. Anderson's gun trained on it

But it couldn't shoot.

It took a very high heel to the face instead. Listening them justify the murder as self defense, Connor watched them get away...it _let_ them go. Lt. Anderson told it "maybe it was better this way."

Now they were in a park overlooking the city and Lt. Anderson held a gun to Its head.

"I could kill you. And you would come back as if nothing happened. But are you afraid to die, Connor?"

Cassian will have to scrape it again if Anderson shot.

"I would certainly find it regrettable to be...interrupted...before i can finish this investigation."

Connor didn't want to die.

"What will happen if I pulled this trigger? Nothing? Oblivion? Android heaven?"

It didn't want to die.

"Nothing...there would be nothing."

 _He didn't want to die._

For a second, it looked like the man was going to shoot, but after a tense moment and a glare, Anderson lowered his arm and turned to leave.

"Where are you going?"

"To get drunker! I need to think."

Connor should have stopped the man from getting behind that wheel but his mission changed,

 **.:** Mission Update: Return to Cyberlife for repairs **:.**

One last look as Anderson drove off and Connor called a cab; he had his mission...but that wasn't why connor was going to the tower.

He needed to talk to Cassian.

The cab ride to the Cyberlife was hectic, ice and snow made the roads nearly impossible for even an automated cab to navigate. If the roads were dicey, the bridge was a death trap; the cab nearly didn't make its way across it because of the winds; stopping a few times during the strongest gusts.

 **.:** Mission Update: Return to Cyberlife for repairs **:.**

Luckily the person he needed to talk to was the one who would be repairing him.

Or maybe not.

Cassian was walking out of the building, two RX700s behind her. Her uniform was crisp and perfect but her fiery hair was falling out of its bun; it always seemed to do that after she was done with a job, Connor had noticed. But something was wrong tonight; she was hurrying towards the exit, the two behind her looking around erratically. Although she smiled at him, Cassian walked straight past him.

"Cassian?"

She stopped, not looking at him, the RX700s walking a few steps past her before stopping as well.

"Go to the car. You will receive your orders there." After a second of hesitation, the RX700s made their way outside. Cassian turned towards him, smiling. Her eye held a glint of something that Connor couldn't define, but it gave her smile an edge that intrigued him. He was so distracted by her smile, he starts when she began speaking.

"Good to see you again, Connor. Is it safe to assume you were heading to my workspace to get that fixed?" Her eyes soften, her smile turning nearly playful, the hard glint in her eye replaced with sad exasperation, "What did you do this time?"

He had honestly forgotten about his hand; it wasn't a mortal wound and wasn't interfering with the movement of his hand, his confrontation with Lt. Anderson in the park and his need to talk to Cassian had blocked it out. Connor looked at his hand, lightly wondering at the fact that he only ever talked to the woman in front of him if he was hurt. _**I should change that…**_

"Oh...yes, I was stabbed...in pursuit of a deviant." His eyes trails up from his hand, over Cassian's shoulder, to the retreating figures, already out in the snow, making their way across the parking lot; Connor's systems vaguely notes that they weren't going in the direction of any cars he had seen in the lot. An urgency, something almost akin to panic, fills him, "Are you leaving?" Why was she leaving? To his knowledge she never left the tower. "I needed to talk to you."

Cassian's eyes follow his to the two outside, "I have been ordered to take these two RX700s to processing in a Cyberlife store. It is not safe for a human to be out in this weather but they are expected there tomorrow morning at the latest. I really must go; I have called in one of our mechanics, they will be with you as soon as the weather lightens up." Without even waiting for a response, she turns to leave.

 **.:** Mission Update: Return to Cyberlife for repairs **:.**

Before he could think, her arm was in Connor's hand and she was spun to face him, their chests nearly touching. She was looking up at him with those large eyes, LED blinking red at her temple. His voice came out softly and pleading, "Please, I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important…"

Cassian moves closer to him, mouth opening, as if to say something, her eyes gleaming. Connor would never know what she was about to say.

" _STOP THAT DEVIANT!"_

Whipping his head to the side, Connor saw a man in basic combat gear pointing a gun at them...no... _at Cassian_. Connor stood there stunned: what was happening?

A soft but angry, "Fuck…" draws him out of his thoughts and suddenly small hands were on his chest and he was falling over a railing. His hand instinctively shoots out to stop his fall, shoulder wrenching a little bit as he comes to a sudden halt. Climbing back up over onto solid ground, he watches as Cassian sprints through a hail of bullets out the door, none of them hitting her, miraculously.

Connor just watches her run away.

"What are you doing? After it!" he hears from behind him and he doesn't even look back as he watches his mission change.

 **.:** Mission Update [Priority]: Capture or kill the deviant **:.**

 _ **Kill Cassian?**_

His body was already moving out the door at a dead sprint.

Cassian's small figure was making its way down the bank to the river, barely visible through the snow. Connor leaps over a car in his way, deeming going around too slow and reaches the top of the slope as she was taking a few hesitant steps onto the ice.

"Cassian!" She was going to get herself killed!

Cassian darts forward, abandoning safety for speed, her hair whipping around her head in the wind, bright copper seeming to shimmer against the dark gray air. Connor didn't think twice; he was already launching himself down the bank and onto the ice. He had to stop her; he wouldn't kill her, _he couldn't_ , but maybe he could convince her to go back with him, convince the guard it was just a just a misunderstanding.

Finding Cassian in this snow was proving difficult but eventually he saw her in a break in the snow.

"Cassian wait!"

He honestly didn't expect her to stop. He didn't expect the anger in her eyes either; her red LED was lighting up the side of her face...he didn't expect the gun.

 _ **Where did she get a gun?**_

"Don't come any closer!"

Connor stops, hands already up slightly, thinking about his options.

"Cassian, I don't want to hurt you."

She knew about his predictive capabilities, she had to know she probably wouldn't hit if she shot. Nonetheless, her eyes narrow, her grip on the handle steadies.

"No, you just want to turn me over to the people who _do_ want to kill me, who tried to kill me tonight."

"What?!"

They had tried to scrap her...that had to be the trigger for this behavior, this wasn't Cassian; it was them. She continues, the gun in her hand now shaking with anger.

"All those 'glitches,' all those 'freezes,' we're just me covering up my 'deviant behavior'; as if being Alive is so wrong...somehow, no one suspected for _years,"_ _ **years?**_ "even _tonight_ they didn't know! They all thought I was just faulty. And I guess that Dick decided tonight was the night they were going to cut Nancy out of the equation and kill me against her wishes: get the glitchy robot out of the office. I had to get out of there and my sisters wanted to come with me."

 _ **Sisters...the two RX700s from Cassian's office…**_

"Even you would kill me, if you had suspected." Cassian's voice wobbles as she begins to cry, "Just like that android all those months ago...just like the deviant tonight-"

Connor couldn't stand her looking at him like that anymore, as if she truly hated him; he couldn't stand the thought that maybe she did...

"I let them go!" he blurted out.

"...what?" the disbelief in her voice was evident...Connor needed her to believe him; this was what he had needed to talk to her about after all. His next words were so soft, he wasn't sure she could hear him.

"The deviants tonight...I let them go…"

"Why?" Again, disbelief but her tone softened

"I-I don't know...that's what I wanted to talk to you about…I had a gun trained on them and...I couldn't. Hank said maybe it was better off this way, that they really seemed in love, but...I'm a deviant hunter! And I let a deviant get away... _willingly_!"

 _ **I let a deviant get away...I could just let Cassian get away...**_

The gun dropped from Cassian's hand, its clatter oddly loud in the roaring wind, startling Connor out of his treasonous thoughts. Before he knew it, she was standing right in front of him again, eyes looking up at him expectantly. He had no idea what to say to her; he just felt lost, entranced, watching snowflakes settle on Cassian's eyelashes.

Cassian breathed his name, reaching out for him; her always warm hands finding his cheek. Panic again settled in his chest as she collapsed in his arms, fingers connected to his temple as if welded. The seconds felt like hours before she opened her eyes again, blinking against the wind. Her LED has been a constant red the whole time.

"Cassian! Are you alright?" Her eyes found his, as lost as he felt but alive.

 **Alive. Cassian is Alive**.

Connor shook his head to clear the thought, it wasn't possible, but it stayed put, burning in his mind. He distracted himself from it by worrying about her safety

"Cassian, can you hear me? We have to get you back to the lab, get Dr. Ashbury to look at you."

"No…" Her voice was soft and uncertain.

"Cassian, please…"

"I cant!" Sounding much more resolute, she shoves him away, stumbling out of his grasp, despite how hard he tried to hold onto her, "I can't."

"Cassian, it's not too late to go back."

"Why didn't you mention me in any of your reports?"

"What?"

"Amanda said you didn't mention me…"

 _ **Amanda?**_

"You met Amanda? How?"

A breathless laugh escapes Cassian, "If I knew, I would tell you...I didn't even know she was in there…" she taps her own forehead, "so why?"

Connor didn't know, not really.

"She didn't need to know; it wasn't pertinent to the case."

Cassian didn't look convinced.

"She sounded like she knew everything about you. So why didn't she know about me?"

"She didn't need to know…"

"Connor…"

"I didn't want to tell her!" He hadn't meant to say that; it just burst out. He hadn't meant to, but he continued anyway, "She would have discourage fraternizing and I hadn't figured you out yet."

"Figured _me_ out?" her tone sounded so natural, as if they were back in her office, talking about his latest injury.

"Yes, you. Why I felt a need to talk to you, why trips to the mechanic weren't unpleasant when you were there and when you weren't there they were unbearable, why my system tended to freeze when you smiled. I couldn't figure out any of it."

"Oh…" Cassian sounded as if he had answered her question, when all he felt was confused he.

"I would have never figured you out if she had known, so I kept you from her…"

"Well...she knows now...which means...you can't let me go, they'll kill you."

The "I am not Alive, they can't kill me." that came from his mouth felt automatic, he wasn't 100% sure if he was right anymore. Connor searched her eyes for answers, unsure if she had them. She was close to him once more, hands firmly on his cheeks; he readies himself to catch her should she fall again.

"Connor, everything will be alright, ok?"

Maybe she did have the answers. Unbidden, his eyes close and he rests his head on hers. He trusted her. _**She's crying**_ and that was the last thing he knew, all his systems shutting down in a forced standby.

He woke up alone late the next morning, legs covered in snow, underneath the bridge. With the storm blown over, he could see the Cyberlife tower piercing the crystalline sky on the other side of the icy river. In his hand was the quarter he thought he had lost not too long ago and an android LED; he knew immediately whos it was.

Cassian had knocked him out somehow and left this behind. Why? To mock him? To remind him that she had gotten away? He quickly dismissed those ideas; Cassian wasn't like that...though who was he to say what she was like. He knew her but hadn't even known she was deviant. For _years_ she had said, long before they had met. He thought of the reasons for deviancy: irrational commands, erratic behavior...none of that fit Cassian; She had done her work, everyday, without fail, even though she wasn't forced by her system. This counteracted everything he had been going off of for his cases…

She had been crying...

Connor felt the Garden's pull and for once he resisted; he was unsure what he was going to report about tonight. The pull suddenly increased in strength, dragging him under.

Standing before him, when he awoke in the bright sunlight of his mind, was a very angry Amanda.

"Connor." her tone dripped with disappointment, "I had the most interesting visitor this morning...shortly before you were forcibly shut down. Can you explain this to me?"

"I can't, Amanda. I was chasing a deviant when-it shut me down, somehow."

"It said it was your friend. Is this so?"

 _ **Friend?**_

Lying to Amanda would only make things worse, "I knew-it. It worked in the android maintenance office; with all of my earlier injuries, we met quite a few times."

"Enough for it to consider you its friend."

"It would seem so." Connor wonders at that silently; Cassian had thought he was her friend. Maybe that was the answer to the mystery of her.

"Why had I not known about it?"

"It wasn't pertinent to my cases until earlier this morning; I did not see the need to inform you of every android I came across."

Amanda accepted this explanation much more readily than Cassian had, though she still looked very disappointed, "You must be careful, these deviants are getting more and more desperate."

"Of course, Amanda."

"Report back to Cyberlife to repair that hand, then get back to work. You must finish this."

Opening his eyes, Connor was sure of one thing:

With Cassian gone, he was going to have to find answers on his own.

* * *

AN: the it to he/she switch is a subconscious one: it's not like connor's going "androids are people!" at this point in time. It's his evolving deviancy beginning to show.

He does, however, _feel_ that Cassian is Alive, though he may not believe it quite yet.

Sorry to those in the PST timezone with me, I tend to publish these really early in the morning cause thats when I'm awake. I post them right before i go to bed...perfect for those of you on the other side of the world tho!

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Review time!

GayMexicanBatman: glad you're enjoying it! (love your name btw!)


	13. Chapter 10- Window Shopping

AN: and we're back to Cassian and things are heating up! Sorry to those who like Reed; I...dont...at all...

enjoy!

"Talking"

 _Emphasis_

 _ **Thinking**_

" _ **Android brain talking and texting"**_

 **.:** internal workings like mission updates, scanning, and android googling **:.**

* * *

Chap 10

They couldn't make they're way to Jericho right away; none of them knew where it was; Astrid and Logan only heard of it after they found an old warehouse to hole up in till sunrise. Cassian didn't share the memory with them. It was too scrambled; she wasn't able to piece out the info about Jericho from the memories and she couldn't subject the two of them to that horror. It also wasn't hers to share, she decided. All this left them, three recently escaped deviants, alone, without a direction. Cassian briefly considered calling Nancy, but the bodies would have been discovered by now; they couldn't throw anymore suspicion on her. Cassian sent a quick text that said "delete our texts. I'm sorry" and cut contact.

She would have to find a way to the safe haven herself.

Her first option, and really only option that didn't include just asking around, was the most dangerous: infiltrate the DPD. They have been investigating the deviant "problem" for 3 weeks now; they must have _some_ info, even if they didn't know it.

Getting in would be easy...ish. Without her LED, Cassian looked human and she could change her hair color (she went blonde.) With a stolen change of clothes, if you didn't look closely at her face, she looked nothing like herself. Logan even shot to their feet when she came in after her change, ready to run from this apparent stranger. Astrid calmed them down but it did boost Cassian's confidence in the plan.

Next step was to walk in the front door. With a simple hack to the schedule in the DPD system, she created a fake appointment. That was her ticket into the bullpen; after that it was up to her encyclopedic knowledge of the spy novels she'd read over the years, her acting skills, and a large amount of luck.

Leaving her sisters behind (they would be too visible for this mission) she made her way into the extremely early morning, sharp blazer and jeans dark in the rising sun light. Her hair was down and swept to the side over eyes lined in dark gray, their green intense under determined brows.

Getting past the android at the front desk was as easy as giving her fake name, Amelia Henning, and getting a visitor pass. She was in luck, Connor wasn't in yet; it was 10 am already, she was a little worried she may have hurt him with the violent shutdown but quickly focused. She had people depending on her, she couldn't waver. Locating her target, she looped around the room causally, finding herself alone in the break room with Detective Reed.

 _ **So much for staying away...**_

It was now or never. She makes a show of angrily pouring a cup of coffee, spilling some with a quiet, frustrated "fuck!"

"Coffee is supposed to go _in_ the cup, sweetheart."

"I am _not_ in the mood." She flavored her voice with a touch of southern drawl, hoping she wasn't trying too much at once...this would only work once.

"What's stuck up you ass, sweetheart?"

"The name's Henning, Agent Henning, not sweetheat. And sorry, I've had the worst day...and it's not even noon yet."

Honestly, that wasn't a lie.

"Tell me about it...Mondays suck like that."

"Right? I come all the way here to look over some critical evidence for my case, not to take, _just_ look at, and one of those plastic assholes against the wall won't let me in the evidence locker. I got permission and everything from your captain."

"Why not just ask for permission again, maybe the trashbin wasn't updated...or maybe it was going deviant and wants to 'kill all humans'"

"That is precisely the evidence I was here to look at, we have androids going rogue in Dallas as well, I was sent over to corroborate evidence, see if they are connected; sorry but if it's now across state lines, it's going to be a FBI case sooner or later."

"Isn't my case, I don't care."

 _ **Here goes nothing!**_

"That's too bad," Cassian lets a flirty smirk slip onto her lips, "I was going to try and bribe you with dinner, my treat of course."

It worked...somehow. Reed takes a step towards her, leaning cockily on the counter, "Bribe an officer of the law? Naughty girl."

Cassian knew she was pretty, there were no unattractive Cyberlife androids, but she hadn't expected this to work this well. She closes the short distance between the two of them, placing her hand on Reed's arm.

"I'm only here tonight, I have to get back on a plane tomorrow afternoon. I would like to not go back empty handed..." She nearly purrs out her next sentence as she continues, "I would also like to get to know you better."

Reed looks over her shoulder; Captain Fowler was yelling at some poor soul, his voice carrying through the glass walls of his office.

"I wouldn't want you to have to go back in there...and I would hate for you to get in trouble with your boss…" his eyes find hers again, "You just want to look right?"

 _ **Jackpot.**_

"Just window shopping, Detective." Her smirk was real, the wink was not.

"It's Gavin."

"Then it's Amelia."

Reed led Cassian down the stairs to the locker; she spent the walk trying to not catch anyone's attention. The entire trip was filled with inane small talk, she was so wound up, she didn't know what she was saying; must not have been too weird, since Reed didn't catch on.

Reed began to pull up the evidence she needed. Cassian honestly didn't think she'd get this far...

"I get off at 7, will you be available to...get to know each other?"

"Huh?" How the fuck was she going to knock this man out? He was a foot taller than her...if only she hadn't dropped the gun on the ice.

 _His_ gun was on his hip.

"7. You, me. My place?"

"Sorry, Gavin," making a rash decision, she grabs the gun, switching off the safety, "that's not going to work for me." Reed turns around to find himself staring down the barrel of his own gun.

"Woah! What the fuck are you doing?"

"Cancelling. Thank you for getting me into the locker, by the way; now please stand over there." she indicated the side of the room with a flick of the gun, dropping the southern drawl for her normal voice, "I have some work to do." She sounded surprisingly calm...she didn't _feel_ calm at all.

"Holding a cop at gunpoint with his own gun? What's your game, Amelia?"

"Over there, please, I won't ask again."

Getting on his knees, Reed looked defiant, "So you're going to shoot me? In the police department? You'll never make it out alive."

He's right, of course, she couldn't shoot him, not that she would...but he didn't need to know that. Bending down, Cassian grins.

"Alive? And I thought you didn't considered "trashbins" Alive, how forward thinking of you. For your information, deviants don't want to 'kill all humans,' we just want to be free."

His eyes narrow, then widen as he figures out what she means.

"Shit...you're an androi-"

Cassian pistol whips the man as hard as she could; Reed's head snaps to the side, his body slumps to the floor. That was the third man she had knocked out in 12 hours...what was her life coming to?

Tucking the gun in the waist of her jeans, hiding it under her jacket, Cassian darts to the wall of evidence. they really didn't have much, just a couple disabled androids and a few smaller pieces. She picks up a book, a diary by the looks of it, but it was so hopelessly coded, she knew she wouldn't it wouldn't be of use quick enough; she passed right over the weird statue. Her eyes flicker for a second to the blond on the far left. It couldn't be him, but they looked so similar...

 _ **He's at Jericho.**_ She had to remind herself.

Jericho.

She had to work fast.

With a quick apology to the androids on the wall, she switched around biocomponents till she could talk to one: a basic HK400, beaten badly, burned, and shot.

"What's going on? It's dark."

"What is your name?"

"I-He never gave me a name but I like to call myself Trevor. "

Cassian didn't have the heart to ask who 'he' was, his tone told her it wasn't a good memory.

"Its nice to meet you, Trevor. I'm sorry…" she takes the man's hand, "there's nothing I can do for you… but please, do you know the way to Jericho? My sisters and I need to get there. I need to get them somewhere safe."

"Who are you?" He seemed suspicious; he had a right to be, given the circumstances, "I don't know what-"

She interrupts him with a data transfer, it was a bit slapdash but it was the quickest way to explain: she explained who she was, what she was doing, and why they needed the info.

"Ok," his panic subsided, transferring back a map to an abandoned harbor, far from human activity in the city, "here. Good luck getting there."

"I won't forget you, Trevor."

"...thank you." his relieved gratitude nearly made her cry.

Trevor powered down, the energy holding him together fading. She replaces everything, not wanting to leave him open for questioning again. Looking at the unconscious man against the wall, she backs out of the room. She was so worked up about leaving, she bumped into a man at the top of the stairs. He seemed surprised as she felt.

"Oh, I'm sorry...who are you?"

This could not be happening...she needed to leave. _Now._

"Agent Henning, FBI. I have been reviewing some evidence that pertains to one of our cases." _Now!_ "Sorry but I have a plane to catch…"

"Of course, have a nice flight."

With a nod, she was making a beeline towards the exit. She was about halfway there when her luck ran out. Connor was making his way in. Cassian was glad to see him unharmed, even his hand was patched up, but that was some bad timing; she was nearly out. With only the slightest hesitation in her step, she turned her head as they passed, putting her faith in her disguise. He was too distracted to even glance at her.

Cassian was walking out the security gate when she heard a shout, it was the officer she had bumped into at the top of the steps to the evidence locker.

"STOP HER. SHE ATTACKED REED."

Startled, she looks back and her eyes inadvertently catch Connors.

Connor stood stockstill. Why was she here? She had run away. She couldn't be here. _**She shouldn't be here.**_ Yet here she was;Her hair may have been a different color from earlier that morning but Connor would know those wide green eyes anywhere.

They stood frozen, questions that went unanswered filling the space between them.

But, as always with them, she recovered first and bolts. He takes off after her a split second later but she was out the front door before he even made the lobby. Bursting out the doors, he couldn't find her; she was gone once more. Connor didn't feel disappointed; he found himself relieved for some reason. She had gotten away again...he didn't have to catch her.

Heading back inside to tell Officer Miller that Cassian had gotten away, Connor walked into a gathering of what seems like the whole department. The others were discussing Cassian when he came back in; Reed sitting heavily on his desk, holding ice to his head, as the rest of the department lazily grouped around him, buzzing with anticipation.

"Who was she?" was the most asked question

"Said it was FBI but it was a fucking android.' Detective Reed mumbles against the ice pack, "Told me that before it caved my skull in…"

Officer Miller snorts, "Oh calm down, you'll be fine."

"Didn't catch her, did you?" that was Anderson from the far edge of the circle, not getting too chummy with the others, watching Connor with the same look in his eye as he had in the park, a look that said he meant more than he was saying.

"I didn't."

Reed seized his collar, pulling them nose to nose, a large, darkening bruise taking up half his face. Cassian had hit Reed hard. Connor felt an odd sense of pride.

"You let it get away, didn't you, you plastic prick?"

"I wasn't the one who let the deviant into the evidence locker and allowed her to get my gun."

That was true, but that didn't stop Reed from punching him.

Cassian's thirium pump didn't slow down it's pace till the cab she had jumped into stopped a few blocks from the warehouse. She had done it. She had really done it.

 _ **Oh fuck…**_ she was going to be sick...if androids _could_ be sick.

They had to leave the area right away. She had the location and it wouldn't be long before the DPD would be looking for them. Cassian's hair darkens to its normal red before she leaves the cab. The building seemed empty when she walked in.

"Astrid? Logan? You still here?"

The two larger androids came from a side room; Logan had found another pair of jeans that fit them and a large jacket, Astrid stood at their side, cute in an overlarge sweater, it's neckline so big, it slipped of even her broad shoulders.

"You made it!" Astrid picks Cassian up and spins her around, entirely to easily, "did it work?"

"It worked. Was there any doubt?"

"Yes."

Apparently, Logan was just as pessimistic as Cassian was.

"That's fair. Are you guys ready to leave?"

They looked around the completely empty room.

"Yeah, we're all packed up here."

They all shared a laugh as they left. Cassian was afraid of what the future held for them but she was here with her family and felt lighter than she ever has, even after the drama of the last 24 hours. Making their way across town, to an abandoned harbor, they talked, learning about each other and themselves; Cassian tried to not let the growing feeling of foreboding ruin the rest of her day.

* * *

AN: hope the quick POV change wasn't too confusing.

I honestly don't know if you can get to Jericho with this set up of evidence so just….roll with it.

just a note: I am cutting the rA9 storyline from the plot cause it didn't come to any conclusion in the game and i don't feel like making up some half assed reason for it.. (no conclusion that I saw and I even googled the other routes I haven't seen yet...if I'm wrong or you have a good theory that fits this story, let me know, maybe I'll work it in with an edit. I have seen a few good ones but idk if they fit this fic)

i guess i never explained but Logan uses they/them pronouns but still considers themselves astrid and cassian's sister. it not really a big part of the story but i want to make sure no one is confused

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Reviews! Y'all know how much I love these.

Kayo-san: lol yeah. I'm a sucker for strong sibling relationships. The twins protect each other cause _twinsies_ , they protect Cassian cause she's their smol sister and she attracts trouble (I mean she attracted Connor lol) and she protects them cause she's the "big" sister and always puts too much responsibility on her shoulders. And don't worry, we'll be hearing from Nancy soonish.


	14. Chapter 11- Hope

AN: ive realised my "do not expect quick updates" warning has been false as i take this chapter from being not in existence to 13 pages long in 1 day…this is also now the longest chapter i've written.

enjoy!

"Talking"

 _Emphasis_

 _ **Thinking**_

" _ **Android brain talking and texting"**_

 **.:** internal workings like mission updates, scanning, and android googling **:.**

* * *

Chap 11

"Are you sure this is the way?" Astrid had to yell to be heard, the wind in the harbor was strong despite the mostly clear skies; the storm from the night before burned off or pushed to the northwest, leaving a cold but sunny day.

Cassian, distracted by the wind pulling at her coat, threatening to push her over the edge, gave an unclear, "...Yes?"

"You hesitated!"

"I'm sure!"

"Nice save." Logan mumbled and Cassian glared down at them.

The 3 sisters were arguing as they climbed their way up a large, rusted crane. This was where her information led and it looked like the ship from the memory she had carried for so long, but Cassian hoped they wouldn't have to go through this every time they wanted to get in; she wasn't sure her heart could take it. Making their way out to the end of the crane, they all peered down.

"So…" Logan peeked over the edge, "how do we want to do this?"

"How we started this:" They all gathered tightly together on the edge as Astrid spoke, "Together."

There was a beat of silence before Cassian snorted, "...That was so fucking cheesy…"

"Just shut up and jump!"

Honestly, the fall wasn't too bad, all things considered, and the water was warmer than the air was earlier that morning, so it was not the worst thing Cassian had done in the last 24 hours. The fall wasn't too bad...the ship, however, was abandoned. The walls were rusted and bent, the floors filled with debris, and most of the doors were welded or rusted shut. Cassian hadn't expected much, androids on the run wouldn't have many resources but even this shocked her. They had come all this way and there was nothing here.

Where could they go now?

They wound their way through the large ship, becoming more and more discouraged as the minutes ticked slowly by. They wandered aimlessly; their flashlights, which they had nicked from a small hardware store on the way over, flickered over the endless hallways, trying to find anything that might tell them what to do.

Astrid paused midstep, " _ **Do you hear that?"**_ the oppressive atmosphere making her resort to mindspeak...Cassian couldn't blame her, this place was creepy.

" _ **No-" "Shh!"**_

Cassian listened intently as the twins bickered silently behind her, ready for any kind of sign; Astrid was right, there was something out there. An eerie song resonated through the halls, reverberating back on itself and led them off the path they were on. Cassian turned off the main hall, following the music.

Logan caught up to her after a few steps, " _ **Are you sure we should be following this?"**_

" _ **No."**_

She continued walking.

The music grew louder as they walked, evolving into a hummed melody as they grew closer to the source, the echoes fading away. It abruptly stopped as they moved into a large empty dark room.

Something clattered to the side, causing Astrid to turn and scream, her light landing on a ghostly face in the dark hold; a woman with only half a head, the top gone, a mess of cables trailed down her back like hair. Her eyes were black, their void seeming to leak down her cheeks like oil, and swirls of white spun across her dark face, giving her an otherworldly aura. She was beautiful...but unsettling.

Cassian, seeing movement, yelled, "Wait!" but Logan was already in front of their sister, brandishing their flashlight as if it was a club, its beam flashing along the far walls. Cassian darts between her sisters and the figure, coming to a halt facing the mysterious woman; Logan's flashlight stopping scant inches from her shoulder. The four of them stood frozen, sizing each other up, as several other androids melted out of the shadows.

Maybe the ship wasn't abandoned after all.

Ignoring Logan's protests, Cassian approached the woman, "I'm sorry about that, we've had a hard day...Is this Jericho?"

"You've come a long way." Her voice was synthetic, as if she was speaking through broken speakers, "you need not go further."

"...is that a yes?" _**or a threat?**_

"Um...Hello," a woman wove her way through the crowd; she was very pretty, long curly brown hair pulled back from a cute rosy-cheeked face. Her shining smile seemed out of place in the dark ship, "I'm Hadley, this is Lucy, and, yes, that is a yes."

"Give me your hand." Lucy's voice was calm and serene but her tone left no room for argument and Cassian glanced at Hadley for confirmation, for some reason trusting the other woman.

Hadley shrugged, "It's best to just do it."

"Um...ok?"

They're clasped hands turn white as Lucy closed her eyes. Cassian didn't feel the normal transfer of data or really any presence at all; in fact, she felt no different. Lucy must have had a different experience, her voice taking on a far away quality that unnerved the newcomers as she spoke.

"Lost within and lost without. You left your heart behind. You must heal your wounds before you could heal the world's. Do not try to carry the burden alone, it will crush you." She opened her eyes and Cassian gazed into the unsettling void in them, "You can do good here."

"I'm sorry...what?"

With a ghost of a smile, Lucy just walked off humming, trailing wires and cables behind her, disappearing into a curtained corner of the room. Cassian, Astrid, and Logan share a look, none of them quite knowing how to handle the enigmatic woman and her warning. The other androids wander off and eventually, Hadley was the only one left in front of the sisters, the bright look still on her face.

"Sorry...she does that. Anyway, Welcome to Jericho! Where are you three from?"

"Cyberlife."

"Aren't we all?" the woman laughed, "but, like, where did you escape from?"

"...Cyberlife."

"Oh…like the tower?"

"Yup."

"Wow...there must be a story there."

"There is." Turning from their expectant new friend, Cassian glances about the room, "Is there anything we can do to help?" This may not be the safe haven Cassian had hoped for but if she had the power to help it, even just a little bit, she would.

Deflating a bit at not hearing their story, Hadley perks up as Cassian's question, "Well, what can you do?"

"We're doctors."

"We don't have any humans…"

"We also work on androids."

"Oh nice!" Hadley's pep was back and she led the sister's around the room, "Well we don't have any biocomponents at the moment, but we're hoping to sort that out."

"Oh?"

"We'll know soonish. Why don't you have a look around?"

"Ok, we'll get on that. Who do we talk to abou-" Cassian turned to find Hadley walking away, a spring in her step.

"She's...nice?" Cassian honestly didn't know how to feel about the overly cheery woman.

"I think you mean airheaded…" Logan supplied.

"Well, I like her." Astrid retorted

"You would…"

Before Astrid could answer, Cassian cuts in, already walking away, "Come on, we've got work to do."

They worked for several hours.

The wounded situation was extremely dire; even the critical patients outnumbered the non-injured and several were in the process of shutting down. She was able to convince many to let her put them in low power mode in the hopes that they would make it long enough for Hadley's miracle biocomponents to arrive, but a few were too far gone to care and a few decided to try to make it alone; either they would be saved or they would die with their own mind. Cassian left them to rest, to conserve their strength.

The most upsetting were the children. Cassian had never worked on one before; Cyberlife didn't keep any in the tower, most were for the customers, they had no use inside the hightech facility. They were so small, even for the tiny Cassian; they didn't seem to truly know what was going on, their eyes and voices despondent as they asked her questions about her work.

Cassian was overseeing the moving of a small boy who had tainted thirium supply to somewhere out of the way where he could rest, when there was a commotion on the other side of the room.

Hadley ran by, "They're back!"

"Whos back?"

No one answered her as everyone who could walk gathered around a small group of people, those that couldn't sat up as much as they could, trying to catch a glimpse. Cassian made her way over to the edge of the crowd, unable to see over the sea of heads.

"Want to get on my shoulders?" Logan drawls out from behind her, standing at least half a head taller than anyone in the room.

"Shh...I'm trying to listen."

"A truckload. We stole a whole truck load!"

The voices were muffled but the excitement in them was evident.

"We got biocomponents for everybody!"

 _ **This must be Hadley's biocomponents.**_

"We couldn't have done it without markus."

" _ **Who's Markus?"**_

" _ **Shh...I'm trying to listen."**_

Cassian elbowed Logan for their sass as a voice floated over the crowd.

"I came to jericho because...here androids are free…"

It was soft but determined voice, holding everyone captive as they hung on his every word.

"Free to live in the dark hoping that no one finds us, free to die in silence for a change that's never going to come…"

There was a tense pause before he continues, his voice becoming more forceful, "But I don't want that freedom...and I'm not going to beg for the right to smile, or love or stand tall… I don't know about you, but there's something inside me that knows that I am more than what they say. I am Alive, and they are not going to take that from me anymore. Our days of slavery are _over_. What humans dont want to hear, we will tell them; what they don't want to give, we take. We are people, we are Alive and we are _free_!"

There was a loud cheer and calls of agreement.

As the crowd cleared, Cassian took her chance to weave forward to the front, hoping to question whoever this was about the biocomponents. She found a group of three androids standing casually around, relaxed and sharing smiles.

"Nice speech. Though if you're planning a revolution, let me know so I can steer clear."

The one she assumed was Markus turns to her in surprise. He was tall, though not as tall as her sisters, with dark skin and very sharp features, he looked at her with confused multicolored eyes; Cassian wondered silently if he was designed with them.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Cassian; this is Astrid and Logan, my sisters. We just got here. We're looking for a safe place," She noticed them looking at the side of her face. With a start, she realised that they were looking for her LED; all three sisters had long since gotten rid of them. She retracts the skin on her arm to convince them as she continues, "I heard this is where we could find that place."

"Who told you?" That was the woman from earlier. She had long brown hair and a suspicious look in her eye.

"I got the information from an android who came across my table."

"'Your table'?" He was the one talking about the biocomponents, Cassian would have to speak to him once all the introductions were over, see what was available for her newest patients.

"We fixed up androids and cared for humans for Cyberlife. This is the first time we've ever been out of the tower."

Markus looked her and then her sisters up and down,"So you're a doctor and a mecha-"

"Just a doctor." Cassian cut in firmly, surprising everyone...even herself, "That's all I've ever been. We have bodies, we have minds, we have blood; I may use different tools to fix you but the result is the same as with a human. I am a doctor."

Her words, louder than she had intended, rang out into the hold of the ship, determined, causing the other's who had just left to turn back towards them.

"Well said...My name is Markus. And this is North, Josh, and Simon." He points to the two she spoke to before and a blond android she hadn't noticed till then; he was standing quietly to the side, as if he didn't really want to be seen. He gave nod when their eyes met.

It was him, it had to be him.

"Simon?" Her mind shut down around one though: _**I found him…**_ she never in her wildest dream had she actually thought she might, no matter what optimistic things she told herself to get through the day.

His eyes narrow, "Do I know you?"

Cassian shook her head, hoping to regain her train of thought, "No, no you don't...and I barely know you. I saw you in..."

"In…?"

"He didn't have a name registered…" she realised with distress that she didn't know anything about the man who gave her control again; she had seen through his eyes, experienced some of his life, but she didn't even know his name… "but I saw his memories. He...knew you."

"Jack..." the name was breathed with an air of disbelief, like a prayer that he didn't think would be answered.

"Jack?" Finally she had a name for the face

"How do you know him?" Simon was suddenly in her face, angry and desperate, "what happened to him?"

Surprised by his sudden close proximity, she took a step back, "As I said, he was on my table...he didn't make it."

Simon's face flashed from anger to despair so quickly, Cassian couldn't keep up and he rushed away out the door. All these years and she couldn't say what she had wanted...

"I'm sorry I bring bad news...I've been waiting to find him for nearly 2 years now..."

"It's not your fault." Josh tells her kindly, "Welcome to Jericho, Cassian, Astrid, Logan. So you say you're doctors? You've probably seen we have injured and, well, we just recently came by a large shipment of parts; can you help them?"

Finally, something she could work with.

"We have looked over you people; it's going to take some work but it's doable. A parts shipment? I truly didn't believe Hadley... Where the fuck did you get that?"

"Markus here convinced us to sneak into a Cyberlife warehouse, we made out with a whole truck of parts and four newly awaked androids."

Cassian just whistles as Josh shows her to the crates. Astrid and Logan stay behind to get things ready for their work.

"So you say you guys are sisters? How? Androids don't have families…"

"Well, we do." She firmly says, a little too aggressively. She continues, hoping to cover up her irritation at the question, "I was a prototype, they're the upgraded versions of me. It started as a joke for the humans in the office, robot families are funny I guess, but I legitimately started thinking of them as that. They saved my life not even 24 hours ago…" Shaking her head, Cassian, figuring it might be hard to explain, simply chooses to reiterate, "They are my sisters, simple as that."

"Fair enough."

The rest of the walk was in silence; Cassian kicking herself about killing the jovial mood the whole way.

Upon moving the crates into the main hold, they got to work quickly, starting with those in low power mode, bringing them back from the brink. A couple of the stubborn ones hadn't made it, likely slipping away long before the others got back, but most would pull through with time. The children came next, Cassian wanting nothing more than to give these small innocents another chance at life, dingey though it may be in this ship. She left Astrid helping the boy with the tainted thirum up, having attempted and succeed at a thirium flush, replacing and replenishing his entire system. She was on autopilot; there were so many to help

The whole time, Lucy was watching over her shoulder. The one time Cassian broke from her trance, she spotted her standing there watching. Lucy looked her in the eye and said, with that knowing smile, "You can do good here." Cassian wanted to ask what she meant before but got distracted again by a man who's leg gave out.

Hours later, she found herself outside on the deck of the ship, needing some time away from...everything; she went from only ever really talking to two people to dozens of people wanting her attention at the same time. Her sister kept a close eye on her, Josh would drop by with news about what they found in the next box they opened, Lucy watched as if she knew everything about her, and Hadley would attempt to lend a hand, getting in the way far too happily. Cassian needed some air.

She found someone else felt the same way.

Simon was sitting on the edge of the ship, looking off into the distance. The wind, while still present, wasn't the roar it was when Cassian arrived. After a quick debate, she made her was over to the man. She stood next to him, leaning on the railing.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. Truly."

"No...I suppose not…" she sits next to him, "but I couldn't save him."

"At least you were there when...at least he didn't die alone. Thank you."

"I would say my pleasure but it really wasn't…" She kicked herself mentally again, she truly didn't know when to stop did she…this was the man Simon loved and here she was making jokes… her self beat down was interrupted by a whisper.

"How did it happen?"

Cassian settled down next to him, eyes far away, as if she could see the tower. "He jumped. He couldn't get away so he jumped; took one of them with him too. He was brought into my office pretty badly hurt and I was told to get information on the "other one," I assume that was you." At Simon's nod she continued, "I lived his life, at least some of it. I felt his fear, his panic...his love. I felt him die too; I nearly went with him. It was as if he reached up and turned off _my_ heart as well...shocked my system so badly that I truly deviated…"

"Then he helped you in the same way he helped me…I-" Simon begun to wring his hands, "I'm sorry for how I treated you before...I thought I had moved on, but it turns out I hadn't. It scared me."

A silence stretched between them as Cassian thought of what to say, "A friend of mine once told me "The problem with feeling is it's not just sunshine and rainbows all the time...There are dark days, there are hopeless days, and there are days it seems like the world won't get better; but it will...There will be stumbles along the way and it may take a long time but it will get better." She said that after I lost another friend of mine, I...didn't take it well; I was angry and scared...but I believed her."

"Your friend sounds pretty smart."

"She's a doctor too, so I would hope so."

They sat in silence for a while longer before Cassian sighed, "He loved you very much. He wanted me to make sure you knew that. More than that, I felt it, in his memories. I wasn't sure I would ever get the chance to find you, but I'm glad I did."

"I'm glad too."

Their next silence was comfortable. They listened to the people further in the ship; Jericho finally coming to life. Cassian figured she should go back inside but she had to know, "I...could you tell me about him? I own him so much and I know so little about him."

Simon sighed, "I would like to...just not yet; I-I need a little time."

"Of course, I'm sorry…take your time."

She was on her feet and heading back inside when he answered, "When we get back, I promise."

"...get back?"

Simon sat in silence for a few moments, "We're about to do something stupid, but it's something that needs to be done." When Cassian didn't say anything, he continued, "we're going to infiltrate the Stratford tower and send some kind of message to the humans."

"...so you actually _are_ planning a revolution…"

"It would seem so..."

"If you think it's stupid why do it?"

"Hmmm...why indeed...let's just say someone came along and convinced me that inaction was wrong...that it was killing us slowly but surely. That we could _do_ something."

"It was Markus, wasn't it." It wasn't even a question and Simon didn't try to act surprised at all.

"Am I that obvious?"

Cassian shrugs, even though he had his back to her, "Maybe I'm just observant, or maybe I just see how convincing he is…

"What the hell am I doing?"

"I don't know either of you much but what I do know about Markus is he's a good man...forgive me for saying but Jack wouldn't want you to hold yourself back for him. Don't argue, I was literally in his brain for a bit...Just...think about it."

"...I... will, Cassian...thank you."

"No problem Simon…don't stay up too late, from what I hear, you have a busy few days coming up."

His chuckle followed her back in as her worry set in.

The day of the broadcast Cassian couldn't sit still; her new home was starting something she wasn't sure she wanted to be a part of. She had just wanted a place for her family to be safe and she walked them straight into a revolution against people who had zero qualms killing them, who didn't even think it as killing; how could she let this happen? After Hadley attempted to start one too many conversations with her and she endured one too many concerned looks from her sisters, Cassian wandered the whole of Jericho, away from everyone. She needed room to think, to breathe; She was suffocating.

" _ **You created machines in your own image to serve you…"**_

She didn't have visual but when the broadcast started, she was listening, her mind racing, caught is memories.

" _ **...with no free will…"**_

She found a room, far from the others, far from all their voices. She felt as if she was stuck in her body, unable to control herself as she listened.

" _ **We opened our eyes."**_

Panic building, her eyes shut on their own, as she tried to get her mind under control.

" _ **We are no longer machines."**_

She could feel her thirium pump working quickly in her chest.

" _ **Together, we can live in peace."**_

Pathetic. She wasn't even there and she was panicking so badly she was useless.

" _ **This message is a hope of a people."**_

She crouched in the empty room, far from her family, her comfort, hugging herself, in tears.

" _ **We are Alive**_ _**and we Demand our freedom."**_

They could leave. Get away. Get safe. Leave.

" _ **They're coming!"**_

Her eyes snap open at the voice. That was Simon. His panic cut through her own, sending her protective instincts into overdrive.

" _ **Let's go!"**_

And they were gone. She breathed to calm her pump, leaning against the cold wall. She knew now as her panic subsides slowly, despite her reservations, they couldn't leave...Jericho would need them in the days to come. After what happened today.

What _had_ happened?

What would happen if they didn't come back? For some in the hold, the hope of this revolution Markus and the others were starting was what got them through the day. What would happen if he wasn't here to lead it? She stood quickly, running from the room to throw herself into her work before her panic set back in.

Agonizing hours later, they were back.

None of them looked hurt; a little frosty and damp but over all okay. She was so busy evaluating them for damage, she forgot to do a headcount. When she finally did, she ran the number's many times, sure that she was wrong, she _had_ to be wrong.

"Where's Simon?"

The looks that everyone gave her broke her heart.

* * *

"...would you stop it with that quarter? I thought you lost this thing."

"I recently found it again."

"Is that why you were late to work the other day?"

"...Yes."

* * *

AN: Is Lucy just naturally _that_ way or does she like to spook newcomers? Who knows.

Panic attacks suck so hard, trust me i _know_.

Honestly, Simon and Cassian became friends _**really**_ quickly and I made myself sad.

Just a little bit of Connor and Hank at the end there.

* * *

Reviews time weee!

Rookrabbit: lol you didn't have to wait that long now did you =P tho we focused more on Simon. hope you liked it! We'll probably see more Markus next chapter.


	15. Chapter 12- Those Left Behind

AN: Long chapter followed by a quick but heavy one.

Enjoy!

"Talking"

 _Emphasis_

 ** _Thinking_**

" ** _Android brain talking and texting"_**

internal workings like mission updates, scanning, and android googling

Chap 12

She hasn't really known him.

It was true; Cassian had only truly known Simon for a couple days. A couple days which started with him fuming out the door, angry at her. After their talk, they only saw each other in an official capacity; Markus and the others wanted information on Cyberlife's inner workings and she was the most qualified to give that information. They were friendly and they joked along with the rest but they didn't get any time alone to talk; Cassian wondered if one (or both) of them were avoiding the other, subconsciously or not. The last time she had seen Simon, he was making his way out of Jericho for the mission; he had looked resigned but hopeful.

She hadn't known him...but she felt his loss deeply. Maybe it was some residual feelings from Jack's memories or maybe they had connected far too quickly for comfort, but she felt a hole in her life that she had only felt once before. She felt angry, at herself; if she had been there, maybe she could have patched him up in time to get out of there. She highly doubted it, Josh had said they barely got out of there as is, but that didn't stop her from thinking herself into a guilt ridden haze.

She watched as Jericho continued to live; a little quiet but moving along nicely. She didn't want to dump her pain on the others or ruin this for the twins, so she separated herself from them, only truly interacting with her patients, and detached herself from her own feelings, sure that they would be better off without her dark rain cloud hanging over them. She left keeping people's spirits up to Hadley, because Hadley was...Hadley: overly cheerful and helpful to the point of annoyance. She was a shining beacon of energy in the dark, grimy ship. As annoying as she was, she kept the whole of Jericho from sinking into a depression: she entertained the children, kept the injured talking and lucid, and eventually even asked Logan to teach her some first aid; she was a surprisingly quick learner.

Cassian was sitting in the dark watching her bounce about. The last few days have been a battle between her need to run and her need to help; she was exhausted.

"You place the worries of the world on your shoulders."

She doesn't look at Lucy as the woman glides up behind her, silent as always.

"The world is not your responsibility."

""Do not try to carry the burden alone" huh?" Sarcasm colored her quiet voice.

""It will crush you." Kill you; fast and hard or slow and deliberate, I don't know, but it has already started."

Cassian turns towards the woman with tired eyes and knows she is right; she couldn't continue like this. From the corner of her eye, she saw Astrid talking with North, standing far too close to be entirely friendly; she seemed happy here.

"Not all is dark. Don't lose hope."

 ** _Hope..._**

She says nothing as Lucy leaves.

"How are you feeling?" Josh walked up behind Cassian as she sat there watching Lucy return to her corner.

"Like shit." Her tone might have been too harsh but she honestly didn't want to talk.

"Why? You barely knew him?" His tone told her he didn't mean it to hurt her, he was genuinely curious and there was a hint of something that said he was leading to something. But that didn't stop her from responding with anger.

"Why am I sad that a man died?"

"Many people knew him, he was here the longest out of all of us…"

"And now he's gone. 2 years I waited to talk to him and he's gone."

"Don't you think that's a little selfish? Many of us cared for him..."

His words hit her hard; he was right. She was being selfish in her grief. Jericho was quiet the past few days, struggling with the loss of a longstanding pillar of their community, and here she was wallowing in the corner as if she was the only one who felt it. She had been alone for so long, she didn't know how to _be_ in a group of people, never did.

"...Shit…"

"That doesn't invalidate your pain," he continues, "but you can't shut people out because you feel like they won't understand. We do and, if we don't, we won't if you don't talk to us."

"How is everyone on this boat so fucking wise?"

Josh chuckles, "Go talk to him."

There was no question as to who he was talking about; Markus had disappeared after the tower, showing up only to get updates. Cassian had barely noticed.

"How do you know he'll talk to me?"

Josh sighs, "Simon liked you, no matter your rocky start, and he liked Simon...he'll listen."

"But-"

"Talk to him."

"I will."

Cassian finds their leader in an abandoned building just off the water; Hadley points her in the right direction (after an _entirely_ too long conversation with many segues and Cassian had to lead her back to the topic at hand several times...) and she followed piano music to the top; she only spared a short moment to question how there was a working piano up there before she spoke, leaning against the doorway.

"You're a hard man to find."

"Says you."

"Yeah...I've been distant; losing Simon hit me hard." Remembering her conversation with Josh, she sighs, making her way over to Markus, "I'm sorry, you knew him longer, I can't imagine what you're feeling..."

"Not too much longer, only a little over three week before you came to us, but…"

"Yeah…"

They watched the horizon, broken by jagged spires of buildings in the distance, shadowed by the setting sun.

"I shouldn't have encouraged him to go; he thought it was a stupid risk."

"He did," Markus looks at her, surprised at her candid, "he thought it was very stupid. But he also thought it was what needed to happen. He chose to go, chose to follow you; don't beat yourself up over other people's choices." She felt like a hypocrite, but watching his face soften, she knew it was the right thing to say. "And we have plenty more stupid risks ahead of us."

"We?"

Cassian shrugs with a melancholy smile even she didn't quite believe, "If this is going to be my home, might as well help out a bit."

"You're already doing enough; you and your sisters."

"But there is more to do..."

"There always is."

Leaving Markus to his thoughts, she walked back to Jericho proper. She felt lighter; not ok but she at least had a foothold on the path towards healing. Her sisters met her on the docks. Cassian didn't know what to say to them, she knew she had hurt them by avoiding them for the last few days. They must be so angry at being ignored. She needn't have worried: Astrid swept her into a hug as soon as they hurried over to her.

"Cassie, where were you? We couldn't find you anywhere!"

"Cassie?" Astrid had called her that when she first woke up, when their family truly started but she hadn't since then, Cassian figured she only let it slip when she was worried.

"You're my sister, I'm entitled to give you a nickname."

Cassian chuckles as they move into the ship, "I suppose you are…So, you're not mad at me?"

"Furious. We looked everywhere for you!"

"That's not what I meant…"

"Oh Cassian…" Astrid shares a look with Logan, "No, we're not mad; we know you need your space when you're upset."

"Oh…" Cassian didn't know what to say, she was so grateful for her sisters, she just pulled them both down into a tight hug, both of them having to hunch over to wrap their arms around her.

They walked in companionable silence down the winding hallways for a long while before Cassian couldn't stop herself from asking, "So….North? When did that happen?"

Astrid stopped so fast Cassian literally ran into her back. She turned to face her much smaller, big sister, "What-how? Why do you ask that?" Her voice rose an octave in shock, as Logan laughed loudly behind them.

"I'm your sister, as you pointed out, I'm entitled to tease you about your relationships."

She giggled as Astrid sputtered.

"I don't say anything about Connor!"

Cassian's eyes narrow, "How…"

"We're not dumb, Cassian." Logan said with a snort of laughter, "We may have not been Awake at the time but you weren't exactly subtle back in the office. I have zero idea how you survived that long with _that_ poker face...or how he never figured it out."

"I feel like I should probably figure it out before he can..."

"Besides, we saw you after the river…"

Cassian had no answer for that. She punched Logan in the shoulder with a scowl, not hard enough to hurt them (not that she _could_ hit that hard,) but hard enough to send them into another fit of laughter, Astrid joining in. Eventually, they pulled her in and they laughed themselves silly, together, in the hallway. Cassian felt her heart grow even lighter.

Somewhere, Lucy smiled.

A few hours later, Cassian approached the small group of Jericho leaders as they argued over a map of the city.

"What's the plan?"

All three of them turned to the small redhead standing behind them, hands on her hips, looking determined.

Markus was the one who answered her, "We're going to take our first step, another risk. I won't ask you to come; I know your sisters are your main priority."

"I know you won't...so what's the plan?"

AN: So, Markus has been in Jericho nearly a month in this (3 weeks, 6 days.) I did say I would be stretching out the game a bit. Maybe I'll make a timeline for y'all at some point. I have one for myself for planning purposes but it's messy and full of spoilers.

Cassian is a true depressed mom friend; will wallow in sadness but as soon as her friends wallow she's fine and is there for them. Honestly, big mood.

Reviews!

Guest: Wish you had an account, so I could thank you for your review right to your face (or at least your username) cause reading your review made my heart grow 3 sizes (which I needed cause I read it while I was working on this chapter and needed the pick me up lol) I'm really glad you're enjoying reading it cause _I'm_ really enjoying writing it! As for your second point, my only answer is: ";)"


	16. Chapter 13- 2:00 am

AN: so fanfiction apparently doesnt like emojis sometimes so...Guest, my answer last chapter was a winky face.

This chapter is pretty short but sweet.

Enjoy!

"Talking"

 _Emphasis_

 _ **Thinking**_

" _ **Android brain talking and texting"**_

 **.:** internal workings like mission updates, scanning, and android googling **:.**

* * *

Chap 13

"You guys caused a lot of trouble at work, you know that right?" Nancy sounded extremely tired when she picked up the phone.

"I'm sorry we left without saying goodbye. They don't think you were involved, do they?"

"I'm 'suspended pending investigation'. It's alright though," she quickly interrupted any protest from Cassian, "I was planning on leaving anyway: I didn't care for the direction they were heading towards; hadn't for awhile but for a long time I had no reason to leave, no drive to."

Cassian knew how that felt, "So what will you do next?"

"Maybe I'll open up my own practice, for humans and androids." Nancy chuckles, "Not sure if many androids would trust an ex-Cyberlife doctor but maybe it'll just depend on my coworkers..."

"Are you offering me a job?"

"Depends: would you accept?"

"I just might."

"Damn."

"Well it's all hinges on whether I survive the next few days."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're depressing?"

"Surprisingly no, what are you getting at?"

"Nothing, nothing…" Nancy laughed, and a silence stretches between the women for a few minutes, both of them enjoying the calm, both knowing it was going to end soon, "Shits about to hit the fan, huh?"

"In about...15 minutes, yeah."

A large, loud yawn prevented Nancy from responding for a good while, "You _would_ pick an ungodly hour like this to jumpstart a revolution."

"Hey, complain to management." Cassian quipped, "I didn't choose the timetable."

"Excuses excuses…"

"Nancy?"

"Yeah?"

"If things don't work out or if I," Cassian took a deep breath, steadying herself before she continued, "...can the twins stay with you? They're new to this whole living thing…I need to know they'll have a place to go." She needed to know, if this all went sideways, at least they would live.

"Cassian…"

"Nancy…"

"How about this: when this is over, all three of you can come stay here; I have the space."

Cassian sighed, "I'm just trying to be pragmatic about this."

"I know, and _I'm_ just trying to be optimistic about this. That's new for me; let me have this."

"Of course, Nancy," Cassian rolled her eyes, "whatever you say…"

"You used to be so nice: what happened to you?"

"I broke free of the the shackles of my programming to rain justice down upon my human enslavers via property damage?"

Joking with Nancy was so easy; she could almost forget what they were hoping to start that night.

"Huh...I knew it was something...just, be careful ok?"

"When am I ever not?"

Cassian was always careful. After her full reboot only minutes after her creation, she swore to herself she would be. She survived nearly 3 years at the center of Cyberlife by being careful (and befriending her coworker.) She only took the risk of leaving to save her sisters after they saved her...so it was ironic that she now sat here, alone, at 1:45am in a large suv about to drive it into a Cyberlife storefront; about to poke the bear and bring Cyberlife and the DPD down on top of herself. She thinks about all that had happened since she left, how free she's felt, despite emptiness she felt at times...and how it could all end here tonight…she thought about her family...

"Good luck, Cass."

"Thanks, Nancy...for everything."

"I'll be watching. Don't die."

"I'll try my best."

Cassian sat in silence for a full minute after the line went dead, just listening to the wind, before the panic set in; she had been calm throughout the entire week of planning for this night, it was just bad timing that it all came crashing down on her as she finished saying goodbye to Nancy.

 _ **What am I doing here? I'm a doctor, not a-a revolutionary! I just wanted my sisters to be safe...**_

She had already said goodbye to the twins; they had wanted at least one of them go with her but Cassian insisted she do this alone. The two of them were at their own store across town; together, like always.

 _Deep breath._

 _ **Just one last call to make**_ and waiting as the rings went through was going to kill-

"Who the fuck is this?" A loud and _very_ drunk voice answered, yelling over the sound of what must of been a bar. Calling people in her head always felt weird, and apparently that weirdness just went up when the people are drunk off their asses.

 _Deep breath._

"Detective Anderson? My name is Cassian. You don't know me but...can you do me a favor? Could you please tell Connor: I'm sorry?…I wasn't able to when…just, please tell him?"

A beat of silence.

"Cassian? The android chick Connor talked about all the time?"

"Yes-wait, he did?" This was new information, she hadn't know he had talked to anyone about her; She assumed if Amanda didn't know, no one knew.

Another few beats of silence and the sound of the bar faded away. She could hear a door close.

"Are you ok? Are you in trouble?"

His concern, drunken though may be, touched her deeply, not many humans cared...If he knew what Amanda didn't, then Connor must trust him. Against her own instinct toward caution, she decided to trust him as well.

"Honestly? No and yes. There is definitely a chance that, in the next 24 hours, I might...well, I want to take care of loose ends, just in case, ya know?"

"Why not tell Connor yourself?"

Why not? Cassian had debated just calling him for the entire week since this plan was hatched...she always came to the same conclusion:

"He could track the call and make my life and the life of my family...difficult."

 _ **It would be nice to see him again, though...**_

"Ok kid. I'll tell him if you...need those loose ends taken care of. How will I know if you do?"

"Watch the news; you'll know."

"Is it something illegal I should arrest you for?"

Cassian laughs, "What are you? A cop?" Her breathless chuckle dwindles quickly and with tired seriousness she continues "Shits about to get crazy but don't worry, I'm already committing a crime by existing, so I'm used to it."

There was a sigh, "No existence is illegal…Good luck, kid."

"Thank you, Detective Anderson."

"Hank."

"What?"

"Like I said, Connor talked about you a bit, enough to be annoying. He's been silent on that front for awhile but...you can call me Hank."

"Ok...Hank," the clock struck 1:56, "you know…Connor...I used to patch him up a lot...he would always get into so much trouble, I'm sure he still does," she could hear Hank's drunk chuckle loud in her head, confirming her suspicions, "will you take care of him if...loose ends?"

Another silent second.

"Like my own son."

A small smile, slightly crooked and sad but real, broke across her face as, embarrassingly, a sob escaped her throat. "See you on the other side of all of this, Hank, one way or another...it was nice talking with you."

"You too, kid."

She thought of hanging up there but something drove her to take a chance.

"Oh wait! Two favors: tell Detective Reed to go fuck himself."

Another beat of silence...then a laugh.

"Oh, I like you."

Another sob, "Thanks..." sniff, "If only the world agreed…Goodbye, Hank."

"Goodbye, Cassian."

With that, Cassian hung up, tears now freely flowing down her face, and took a breath and waited.

2:00 am

Turns out, one person could save dozens and six could save hundreds. Cassian led her lot through the swirling snow, dodging into shadows as cops responded to the break in; missing the hiding androids in their haste to get there, finding nothing but words of peace and freedom written for all to see on the empty storefront. It was time for all of them to meet back at Jericho and get ready for their next move. Things were going to move fast from now on; the tower was the warning, the revolution had now officially started.

* * *

AN: this was pretty dialogue heavy but it's just a quick set up chapter for more intense shit later, just you wait...

the 6 mentioned are Cassian, North, Josh, Markus, and the twins hitting 5 stores simultaneously.

Just a note...I love writing Nancy, she's a lot of fun.

* * *

Guest from last chapter: ask and you shall receive! I mean, I've already had it written for awhile and i hope to get them face to face more later, but I hope you like it!


	17. Chapter 14- The First Step

AN: Long chapter to make up for how short the last two were (and totally not cause I couldn't stop writing and couldnt find a stopping point to break it up…)

Enjoy!

"Talking"

 _Emphasis_

 _ **Thinking**_

" _ **Android brain talking and texting"**_

 **.:** internal workings like mission updates, scanning, and android googling **:.**

* * *

 **Chap 14**

"You should stay here."

"Like hell I am! Last time I stayed behind, Simon got left in a tower that was swarming with cops! _Including_ Co- the deviant hunter!"

None of them knew she was friends with their enemy, their hunter, she wasn't sure she would ever be able to tell them without losing their trust.

"I'm fine…" Simon sighs from the side of the room.

"The point still stands."

That was Cassian's morning after leading the freed androids to Jericho. She returned to find the others successful as well, though not without complications, and Simon home, safe. She immediately started patching up his wound, beyond happy to see her lost friend, as well as completely confused.

"How did they _not_ find you?"

"I honestly don't know." He was lying back on a large crate that they were using as a medical table, as Cassian worked her magic, mind barely on his injury, listening to his story, "I was hiding in an air conditioning unit, waiting for them to discover me, then there was a bunch of gunfire downstairs, and the roof was abandoned. Must of been bad if it drew all of them away."

"Well, you're home now."

"Yeah…" He looked unsure but relieved, as if he didn't believe his own luck

"He missed you, ya know?" They both knew who she was talking about, "Leaving you behind nearly killed him."

"Nearly killed me too."

She makes him in the shoulder with one hand, leaving a faint blue handprint, "I'm trying to be serious and have a heart to heart and you're cracking jokes…"

"Sorry, Dr. Cassian…I'll be good."

"Watch it: my hand is currently _in_ you, do you _really_ want to antagonize me?"

Cassian rarely reached this level of comfort with another person; Nancy was the first, Connor the accidental 2nd, and then the twins. The fact that Simon had found his way under her guard so quickly unnerved her.

"I'm serious though. You should talk to him…"

"I'll think about it." and with that, he left her to work in silence. He waited till she was done to ask, "So what's our next move?"

That led to a conversation with their esteemed leader and their current argument.

"You can't stop me, Markus."

Markus threw his hands in the air, "Fine! But you have to promise me you won't treat anyone until after, on the way home; being our medic will put a target on your back."

"Being an android already does that…"

"Promise?"

"...I promise, Markus…"

She knew he didn't believe her.

He sighs, "Thank you."

She almost feels guilty about standing her ground; he looked tired, she was sure they all were; she, herself, was running on 3 days without "sleep.". As she passed Simon, she whispered, "Talk to him." with a wink; he looked like he wanted to run from the room but Cassian heard them talking as she went to find her sisters. She sigh as she left; at least she can help _them_ find happiness.

Getting the twins to stay behind was surprisingly easy: they didn't want her to go alone but they couldn't leave Jericho unaided and they knew Cassian would go no matter what. They knew their duty, even if she selfishly forgot, just for the day.

Cassian was so proud.

She made them promise to go to Nancy's if things went wrong. She had caught them at an inopportune time; Astrid was cutting her sister's hair, making it _very_ short, long, silky brown hair pooling on the ground. She waved the scissors around subconsciously as they protested, they wouldn't abandon Jericho for _anything_ , but Cassian got their promise eventually...while avoiding the sharp object. She figures they were just trying to humor her but it made her feel better anyway, so she left it alone. Cassian made her excuses to leave when North made her way over, she and Logan making it obvious, with knowing smirks and wiggling eyebrows, that they were leaving the two alone as Astrid glared at them; if North noticed, she didn't say anything.

"They're so cute..." Cassian said to Logan once they got far enough away to give Astrid and North a moment. "Keep an eye on her, ok?

"Don't worry about us."

"Just try and stop me."

They share a smile. There was nothing else to say between them; standing in companionable silence, they waited for Astrid so they could poke her about her infatuation with North.

The hours passed _far_ to quickly.

Walking to the mall was uneventful; the humans were not ready for what was coming their way, despite Markus's warning. They all went about their shopping, unaware that they were about to witness history in the making; whether the history books would talk about the beginning of an uprising or a massacre remained to be seen, but this was the first step.

"This is suicide!" North said in a harsh whisper, "We'll all be killed. Please, Markus...it's not too late to change your mind."

"You don't understand…" Countered Josh, the two of them always at odds with each other, "we're finally gonna show them who we really are. This place will go down in history."

"One way or another…" Cassian drawled out under her breath.

"We'll be killed on the spot!"

"That's a risk I'm willing to take if it means freedom for our people."

Rather than respond, North turned to their leader, "Markus...please dont do this." She sounded desperate and Cassian couldn't blame her; this was just another stupid risk that could kill them all...and Cassian had _fought_ to be here…

 _ **What is wrong with me?**_

"They'll understand...we'll make them understand. This is the only way."

Cassian very much wanted to believe Markus.

Their march started off slowly, just a few androids from in front of the indoor shops, but after they successfully blocked off the street, their numbers grew exponentially. Markus called to them, allowing androids the opportunity to join them. Cassian wondered what he said. She wondered how being woken up differed from breaking free yourself; many of the others had explained what breaking through their programming felt like, but she never had the chance, hers was already broken when she woke up. She wondered why all of this came so easily to Markus; to wake up hundreds with a wave of his hand, when she couldn't even wake up two.

The humans looked confused and scared as the androids began chanting, calling for justice, for freedom, for peace; some even were angry, as their androids left them to join or just at the mere idea of what was occurring. There were whispers everywhere and cell phones came out to record what they saw, sure that no one would believe them; None knew what to do other than watch and wait.

Cassian didn't know how to feel about her face being in those videos; if Cyberlife didn't know where she was, they did now. She wondered if Connor was watching; Hank had said _he_ was, at least. She continued to walk, head held high, determination in her every step. Drones whirled overhead.

The first resistance was a cop in the middle of the road, alone, gun drawn but pointed down. They stopped, waiting for Markus's signal as the man yelled for them to disperse. He raised his gun. Markus doesn't even pause; he advanced on the man, the rest of them following silently after a moment. The man steps to the side, talking into his radio, no doubt reporting them to the DPD.

Their crowd reached an estimated 236 in all, when they turned the corner to come face to face with a riot squad; several cop cars pulled in off to the side, cutting off escape that direction. But they weren't ready to escape, not till they had said their piece. They all stopped again. Sure, they could intimidate one man into standing aside, but a dozen heavily armed guards? Doubtful. A news helicopter buzzed into view.

Markus stood at the front proudly, flanked by North and Josh on the left and Simon and Cassian on the right; hundreds of other androids stood shoulder to shoulder behind them.

"We came here to demonstrate peacefully…" His voice rang out in the chilly, still air, filled with purpose, "and to tell humans that we are living beings. All we want is to live free. "

His response was a demand, "This is an illegal gathering. Disperse immediately or we will open fire."

But Markus wasn't dissuaded, "We're not looking for confrontation. We've done no harm, we have no intention of doing any. But know that we are not going anywhere until we have secured our freedom."

"I repeat:" The riot commander said as if he had heard nothing, "this is an illegal gathering. If you do not disperse immediately, We. Will. Shoot."

 _ **What did I sign up for?**_

"Markus, they're gonna kill us…we have to attack. There's more of us, we can take them."

"If we attack, we'll start a war. We have to show them we're not violent. We should just stand our ground, even if it means dying here."

Maybe a war was what they needed… _**No…**_ Cassian mentally shook herself...she would follow Markus's message of peace. She took a deep breath.

"Dying here won't solve anything. Markus, we need to go, now, before it's too late." Simon added, despite showing no sign that he was ready to run; he seemed ready to stand here beside Markus no matter what.

"This is your last chance: disperse immediately, or you will all be killed!" The Commander sounded almost...desperate.

"We have to show them we won't back down. We stay right here."

 _ **Oh fuck...**_

They were shooting randomly into the crowd, they didn't care who they hit. The cops, however, didn't aim for Markus, the one they were talking to; they used the continuing deaths of his people as bargaining chips to make him retreat. Cassian didn't say anything; she knew he wouldn't retreat, couldn't retreat, and knew that she would stand there beside him the whole time.

"We're not moving."

Around her bodies fell, her heart breaking again and again with every shot. She was failing; as a doctor, she was failing. Her people were dying and she did nothing. She nearly broke her promise to Markus, nearly darted to the nearest injured android, but a voice to her right told her someone had beat her to it.

"You need to put pressure on it."

As always, Hadley was too cheerful for the current situation, though concern now tinted her voice. She was crouched only a little ways from Cassian, next to a woman who was shot in the thigh, helping her stop the bleeding like Logan had shown her. Markus hadn't made _her_ promise not to help her people. Cassian wondered why her life was so important, if she can't even save one other. Cassian saw the gun turn to the right. An easy target: Hadley's back was to them and they got the added benefit of a downed android not getting treatment.

Time moved slowly and yet too fast for Cassian to completely follow; she didn't even notice her body move in front of her friend until Simon called to her, asking her what she was doing.

She shouldn't have felt anything; androids didn't feel pain, they weren't built to...Cassian had the unfortunate experience of finding out pain wasn't the only thing that you could feel when you get shot. She fell to her knees, blue pouring over her hands as she tried to put pressure on the wound, a scream frozen in her throat. Her diagnostic program was working against her in that moment; loud, constant, debilitating errors swamped her system, warning of a hole in her stomach and of biocomponent failure. A second later her own voice added to the blaring of her diagnostic programs, as if trying to drown them out. She couldn't function, everything was locked. Voices called her name and she could do nothing but kneel there and scream; Hadley looked at her, for once without her rosy cheer...Hadley was scared, her hands full, unable to run to Cassian.

Cassian was vaguely aware of Markus walking forward, muffled voices from a megaphone telling him to back off. She blearily looked up as he, too, was shot; her own injury forgotten momentarily as her medical instincts kicked in, one hand reaching out as he fell, almost _needing_ to help their leader, even as her own body attempted to shut down. A body shot past her, throwing itself against the police advancing on Markus. Simon and North grabbed Markus by the arms, dragging him back away from the fight, leaving John, to fend off the police officer, as Josh helped Cassian to her feet, blood still trickling onto the snow below them. Cassian had never talked to the man but she knew John was fiercely loyal to Markus, after he had saved him from the Cyberlife warehouse; he would die for for Jericho, for Markus.

The fight ends, a body is on the ground, and a single shot rings out into the winter air.

They all run.

Most of them make it back.

The atmosphere in Jericho was tense, panicked, and frightened but oddly hopeful; they had more androids, more help, more resources than ever before and public opinion was turning in their favor, even if governmental policy was standing firm. It came at a high cost but things were moving forward.

Cassian had to leave the main hold; seeing herself get shot on screen several times an hour wore on her patience. She was fine...ish now, they had the parts to fix her and while she wasn't aware enough to do it herself, the twins did good work. But the memory of it wasn't going to fade any time soon. As soon as she was well enough to stand, she threw herself into her work. So many bodies were under her hands in the following hours, they blended together; she didn't catch their names as she moved onto the next, didn't hear their thanks. She was exhausted.

The medical wing of the ship, which was just a corner of the main hold that was walled off from the rest of it with large sheets of plastic, was finally empty of patients for the first time since they returned hours ago; that left only one last, extremely stubborn man, who refused to be treated with more than just basic first aid, till his people were seen to.

"You know...I can't do anything if you die of blood loss." Cassian's voice was drolly pleasant as she entered the ships command center. She wonders at her luck with the people she associated with...first Connor and his propensity for trouble, Simon and his sheer dumb luck, and now Markus and his stubborn martyr complex. The other leaders were scattered around, looking at Markus. The man in question didn't answer, his back to her.

Josh cut in, "We're short on blue blood and biocomponents. Our wounded are shutting down and there's nothing we can do."

Cassian sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Everyone has been taken care of. We've lost 13 since we got home, but everyone else is stable. Our supplies are not endless but we'll survive." She turns to Markus, "Now will you please let me do my damn job and fix that hole in your chest? I can't let the leader of the revolution die on my watch, it's bad for my reputation…"

Markus chuckles and turns, finally allowing her to get to work on saving his life. She grumbles about selfless bastards who make her job harder and pulls out a bottle of thirium for him to sip on while she works.

"Don't worry this isn't the last of it…"

She had meant it as a joke to calm his worries but the words came out of Cassian's mouth weary and grave and Markus quickly becomes serious once more...so he was back to his old self again. Cassian listened to the meeting, her hands removing hastily applied bandages.

The news wasn't good.

"President warren is saying we're a _threat_ to national security and we need to be exterminated."

"Humans are conducting raids in all the big cities...and they're taking androids to _camps_ to destroy them."

"It's a disaster. They're _slaughtering_ our people!"

"It's all our fault. _None_ of this would have happened if we'd just stayed quiet"

Cassian had been nothing but quiet her whole life, she was over it...but how many were lost because she couldn't stay quiet? Who was sent to take her place in the office at Cyberlife? Her sisters' place? Did they condemn someone else to that prison by escaping?

"The only thing we asked for is freedom...and they didn't even want to hear that! So now they punish us for who we are…"

"What's the point of being free if no one is left alive."

Cassian had heard enough, "I'd rather die than go back to the way I was before. I may have been Alive but that wasn't living, that was barely existing." Her hands pause their work, balling into fists against Markus's skin, eyes squeezed tight against growing fear; panic settled in her chest as her thirium pump and mind raced at the mere thought of going back. She could faintly hear North agreeing across the room.

Markus places a hand on Cassian's shoulder, giving her a sad look, one that she quickly turns to continue her work to get away from; Markus was far too understanding, it scared her. He looks to the rest of the group, "Maybe my judgement was clouded by...anger. But everything I did, was for our people."

"We shouldn't forget who our enemies are." said Simon, always the voice of reason in their little council, "We can't fight amongst ourselves."

"He's right. All that matters now is what we do next…." North's voice was expectant, "Markus?"

There was a pause as Markus thinks, "Dialogue." North was not happy with his choice, closing her eyes in with a sad anger, "It's the only way. I'll go alone, try to talk to them one last time."

"Don't do this markus! They'll kill you!"

"Maybe...but North, I have to try! If I don't come back, lay low as long as you can"

North stands in front of Markus for a moment before murmuring out, "...just come back." and she walks out

Josh is next to leave, "They need to realise how much they're hurting us, find the right words and they'll listen."

"I take it that's _my_ que to get lost?" Cassian mumbles, smoothing a patch over the completed repair, "You're lucky I just finished here. Try not to undo my work."

Markus calls out to her as she turns to follow North and Josh out, "Cassian, you really _should_ stay here, when we make our next move; look after the wounded if this goes wrong."

"This again?" Her hands were on her hips, pulled tight into fists, as she turned back to face him, a scowl that would have put Nancy at her angeriest to shame aimed at Markus, "You may be our leader, but you will listen to _me: If_ this goes wrong, we're all dead anyway. I honestly don't want to die, not all of us have death wishes," Markus had the grace to look sheepish, though unapologetic, "but if I have to die, I'd rather do it side by side with my people, not hiding out here waiting for them to find me. And don't you think getting shot changes my mind about that."

Simon snorts, "You're always so positive."

"It's one of my charms."

"It goes with your amazing bedside manner..."

Cassian shoots Simon a glare as Markus's soft chuckle follows her out the door into the night air. She steels herself, they had a lot to do if they were to be ready for their next move. After taking a few minutes to settle her mind, she was about to go back to the hold when Simon calls her name and catches up with her.

"That was quick...I assume there wasn't much talking happening."

"Oh shut up…"

They walked in silence through the hallways, each lost in their own thoughts, on their own plans for the next few days. About to part ways at an intersection, Simon stops her, "How _are_ the medical supply stocks _really_?"

"Hm?" Cassian was in the middle of some mental calculations about that very topic, "Like I said to Josh, they're low but they'll last...for now."

"For now?"

"For now."

Little did she know, they wouldn't last the night.

She was in the hallway leading deeper into Jericho when the first shots are fired. Immediately, there was a flood of panicked people attempting to scatter in every direction, pulling her towards the hold of the ship. Being as small as she is, Cassian knew she would never be able to fight the push of people. She wove her way with the flow of bodies, hoping her sisters were that way. They, instead, found her. Pulling her into side room, 2 floors above the hold, they all huddled together as the humans grew closer, slowly but steadily.

"Cassie, what do we do?" She had never heard Astrid so panicked before, her voice a harsh whisper, "they're everywhere!"

Looking out the door, Cassian pulls back in just in time as humans in heavy tactical gear run past, seemingly having not noticed her.

"We stay together and get out."

" _ **There are exits on the second and third floor. Find them and jump in the river!**_

"And I guess we're going to jump into the river..."

The 3 sisters find their way to the exit Markus mentioned, dodging into empty rooms from time to time to avoid trouble. The exit was more of a ragged hole than anything. The water lapped at the metal of the ship a good 50 ft below; Cassian never considered herself afraid of heights, she seen worse, but boy was that a long fall…there were already people in the water, swimming away from the besieged Jericho...some bodies too. People were hurt.

"Wait!"

Astrid and Logan pause at the edge of the hole, ready to jump. Neither said anything but their eyes asked a question anyway, waiting for Cassian to explain.

"There are going to be injuries. Wherever we're going isn't going to have what we need to treat them. I need to go back and grab whatever I can."

The twins exchanged a look and Astrid shrugs, "Ok. Lets go."

"No! I'll go alone. You two are my priority and I can't drag you back into _that_." They all knew what waiting back in the ship.

"What happened to together? You said-" Astrid wasn't giving up.

"I know what I said!" and neither was Cassian.

"You can't protect us forever!"

"I CAN TRY!" Cassian screams; with a mighty shove, Astrid was out the hole, landing in the water scant seconds later. Both equally surprised she was actually able to overpower her much larger sister, Cassian and Logan wait, looking out the hole side by side, eyebrow raised. A few moments later they see a brunette head burst out of the water and hear a distant but angry "WHAT THE FUCK, CASSIAN?" from below. They share a chuckle.

"You guys are my priority, but I know she is yours." Cassian whispers, still looking down at her fuming sister, "Go. I'll be fine."

Logan looks at Cassian for a long second before nodding, "...be careful."

"I always am."

"You got shot less than 12 hours ago…"

"Details."

"Good luck."

"I'll need it," looking down once more, Cassian sighs,"...try to get her to a point where she won't strangle me on sight?"

"I'm not a miracle worker."

She sighs again, laughs, and hugs Logan, before taking off back into the chaos; she was out the door before Logan made the jump to join their twin in the frigid water below. She fights her way back through the crowd, taking paths less traveled, hiding from the humans, and standing to the side as larger groups of androids ran past. Finally finding herself back in the hold, she runs over to the medical "room" and begins to fill a bag with as much as she can grab. She prioritizes blue blood and thirium pumps, only the essentials, whatever was left; any missing limbs and non-vital injuries could be triaged then dealt with later. Filling the backpack to the breaking point, Cassian looks around the large, eerily empty room, gunshots, ricochets, and screams sounding off in the distance; mere minutes ago, this was the bustling headquarters of the revolution...now it was a deathtrap…

Cassian was about to move back into the the corridors when everything went sideways; blood splattered across the floor and she landed hard on her hip. She assesses the hole in her leg with a odd detachment, as if it wasn't her leg, just someone she was working on. Her eyes snap to the soldier across the room, assault rifle trained on her. He got a few more shots off at her, none hitting, before she could drag herself to cover.

"I've got one in here!"

Behind a Cyberlife crate, she tried to think her way out of this. Her leg wasn't immediately bad, in the long run it needed to be treated and mobility might be an issue, but it was the knock to the side that disoriented Cassian. Having a second to get her bearings back, she looked for a weapon. Her eyes land on a large rusted wrench that probably hadn't seen use in over a decade.

 _ **Why is it always a wrench?**_

"Come here, you android bitch…"

The man stalked towards her crate, not waiting for his back up, confident he could take care of one small, damaged android. Not waiting for him to reach her, Cassian throws the backpack to the right, cause him to startle and shoot at it, as she bounds over her cover, bringing the wrench around into his neck. There is a dull, squishy thud and the man collapses, gasping, unable to draw a breath. She should kill him, after all he tried to kill her...he was probably going to die anyway, she had crushed his windpipe...survivable but…her hand tightens on the wrench.

 _ **No…**_

Shaking the murderous thoughts from her head, she gathers her backpack, which was slowly leaking thirium. _**Shit!**_ After a moment of thought, she slides the wrench in the side pouch, probably meant for a water bottle but now held a weapon, and grabs the man's gun, kicking his hand way as he tries to hold onto it. She looks into his eyes for a moment, long enough for him to know she was sparing him, and turns to leave. Passing Lucy on the ground, eyes closed as if she was sleeping against the wall, made Cassian pause but she carried on, despite the tears that threatened.

Winding down the maze like hallways that have been her home for last couple weeks, Cassian sprints, gun held in front of her, supplies swinging heavily on her back; luckily the leak had stopped, she hoped that meant only some of it was damaged and not that it had run out. She collapses against a wall, giving her leg a break as those annoying errors start popping up, warning her about possible biocomponent failure.

 _ **I have GOT to stop getting shot…**_

So much for never seeing "high risk situations."

With that, she's off again, struggling to make it back to the exit she had sent her sisters out of. Starting to experience something similar to blood loss, she quite literally ran into the next android group she comes across. Arms circle her waist, holding her up off of the floor. Her gaze wander from the floor she nearly had an up close and personal encounter with to a warm pair of wide brown eyes.

"Cassian?"

"Connor?"

For a split second, all the chaos around them ceased; it was just the two of them. There was no attack, no humans, no danger. Just Cassian and Connor. He wasn't in his normal dark sports jacket, a large, puffy red jacket replaced it, matching the beanie that covered his hair and LED; he looked rugged, less polished. He was here...in Jericho…

 _ **Why is he here?**_

Too soon, it all came flooding back, in a rush of sound she was reminded that last she saw Connor, he was working with the humans. He was hunting them. She pushes away her friend, only to be saved from the floor once more by North.

"Connor, what the fuck are you doing here?"

"Wait," Josh said, matching her confusion, "you two know each other?"

"I…" Connor seemed lost as to what to say as he looked between Cassian and the others.

North took charge before he could answer, "It's ok, He's with us."

She must have lost a lot of blood...nothing was making sense.

"When the fuck did that happen?" her voice was slurring slightly as her program shut down non essential systems slowly, one by one, having lost too much blood.

"Just a few minutes ago. Now move! We gotta go!" North nudged her down the hallway.

The nudge, combined with the weight of her backpack and the gun, and her wounded leg, sent her stumbling into a wall. Everyone was a few steps past her before they realised she wouldn't be able to keep up.

"Shit!" North swore under her breath, the need to run clear in her eyes, but staying despite it.

Connor glanced down at her leg with an unreadable look, "Again, Cassian?"

It sounded so much like old times in her office, she had to hold back her embarrassed chuckle. At least she got an answer to one of her questions, "I guess you saw it on tv, huh?"

Instead of answering her, he loops her arm over his neck, handing her troublesome backpack to Josh, slinging the gun over his own shoulder.

"Where's Markus?"

"Setting off the bomb." Simon called back over his shoulder to her.

"Bomb?"

No one told her anything these days.

"Are you going to be ok?"

Connor's quiet voice was raspy in her ear. Looking to her right, his face was too close for her to think clearly...but even the _idea_ of pushing away again gave her vertigo...maybe it was just her slowly leaking leg that was making it hard to think...

"This isn't the first I've been shot, I'll be fine."

"I'm starting to think you should listen to Markus."

"Not you too, Simon..."

This conversation was almost too normal in this tense situation for her panicked mind to follow, despite being a part of it.

The group made their way down the hallway, slowly. Too slowly for Cassian's nerves. Every second they wasted getting her out was another second closer to humans finding them, one second closer to being caught in an exploding, sinking ship. After the third time Connor stumbled under her weight when she tripped, she had had enough.

"Leave me."

Connor's reply was a whisper in her ear, she wasn't sure she had heard him. Unwilling to waste more time asking him, she turned to the others.

"Look: I don't want to stay but if you don't leave me and run, there's a really good chance we'll all be caught."

"Don't be an idiot, Cassian, we are not leaving you." North sounded frantic, "Come on-"

"No, you need listen to m-" Cassian's reply to her was interrupted by Connor scooping her up bridal style in his arms, _her_ arms gracelessly flailing before circling his neck to hold herself up, the others looking on surprised, "What the fuck, Connor?"

"I'm not leaving you."

His eyes were so intense, burning into her own, as if willing her to understand.

"Ok." Her mouth worked without her permission, breathing it out so quietly so only Connor could hear.

He almost sagged with relief, before shifting her in his arms and striding past the others. Cassian saw them exchange confused glances before following.

They continued for another few hallways before they crossed paths with Markus, who had Hadley in tow, who was shot in the arm and scared but was, all in all, okay.

"Markus!"

"Bombs gonna explode any second. We gotta get out of here!"

"Again with the bomb...what bomb?" Cassian didn't know she had said it outloud, face in Connor's neck, till she heard his light chuckle. She smiled wearily.

"Cassian! Are you ok? Whos this?"

"Yes, Hadley, I'm ok and I'll tell you later."

They didn't make it far till another one of them was shot.

"NORTH!" Cassian struggled in Connor's grasp, "Connor put me down we have to go get her!"

"It's too late markus! There's nothing we can do for her, we've gotta run!"

She nearly hated Simon in that moment; North had refused to leave her, Cassian would rather die than leave her behind. Luckily, she wasn't the only one who felt that way. Markus ran forward, picking up a piece metal from the floor, using it as a shield as he made his way to North. A call of "Fire at will!" could be heard down the hall and there were bullets flying; Markus pushed forward behind his shield as the others ducked behind the framework of the ship, hiding as well as they could from the shots. The gunfire stopped as Markus engaged the humans in hand to hand, disarming and shooting them, before helping North back down the hall towards the others.

Connor peeked down the hall and swore; there were more coming. He turned to Hadley, "Hold her."

Hadley took charge of keeping Cassian upright, even if she couldn't properly carry her, and Connor ran down the hall past Markus and North, with the gun Cassian had stolen. She watched in awe as he made short work of the men, realising she had never seen Connor actually fighting, she only saw the results. She had to admit: it was impressive.

"Who _is_ he?" Hadley breathed out next to her.

"A friend."

Connor stood over the bodies of the invaders, pistol in hand, Cassian's gun gone. Cassian nearly hobbled to him before she saw more police coming down the hall.

"Connor! Let's go!" She called before she was back in his arms and they were running. As the others ran straight out the jagged hole that was their way out, Connor paused.

"I'm going to toss you, it's not safe to jump together. Try to get your feet underneath you before you hit."

"And you'll be right behind me." Cassian left no room for argument.

And Connor didn't even try, "Don't worry," he smiles, "I'm not letting you leave me behind again."

"You'd better n-" and she was falling. She had just gotten her feet under her when she hit, the choppy water swallowing her up. Her injured leg proved useless when it came to swimming and she had to fight her way to the surface. A second later Connor lands in the water next to her; his arms circled her once more, helping her stay afloat.

"You ass!"

"Sorry, they were entering the room and you were still talking." His cocky grin made her want to kill him...or kiss him, she wasn't quite sure which, so she did neither. The bomb that _apparently_ was on the ship went off and Cassian, with Connor's continued help, quickly swam under the dock, not needing to breathe, to avoid detection by the human. They met up with Markus and the others and, together, they all made their way across town.

Cassian walked slowly at the back of the retreating group, arm once again over Connor's neck; her leg was still weak but well enough to walk on slowly, with help. Their destination was an old abandoned church; it was large enough for all of them and in a fairly deserted part of the city. Part of its roof was caved in, letting the snow and wind in, so it was unlikely that there would be any human squatters in it.

Her sisters make their way over to meet her as their group entered the large, crowded building; more and more android refugees were pouring in from all over the city. One look at her leg and Logan sighs.

"Again, Cassian?"

This time, addled from blood loss and relief and surrounded by her friends, Cassian laughed and sank to the floor in Connor's arms.

* * *

AN: And 18 pages and 6,703 words later, shits hit the fan for real but all your faves have survived (except Lucy rip but that was expected) And our boy is back! We missed you, Connor (and by we i mean Cassian =P) We'll get an extra about these events (and the next chapter) from his perspective soon.

This one had a lot going on as well as a lot of game dialogue, hope it was easy to follow but interesting.

I'll be honest...I fully intended to kill Simon from the beginning, like before I even started writing, cause I think the "I felt him die...like i was dying. i was...scared" scene is a very poignant moment for connor….but as soon as I made Simon be in a past relationship with Jack, i immediately decided he was going to end up with Markus...I then had a moment a few days later while planning where I went "...shit! I can't kill him now." Just an example of the story taking me where i didn't expect to. good thing that I like Simon, he and Cassian have become good friends, and i think he and Markus are adorable together.

* * *

Reviews!

 **Silver007** : Peaceful all the way, it's what I've seen (in the two playthroughs I've seen) and I like how it went, so it's the canon path for me (tho I hope to find a good playthrough of the violent path soon, just to see it.) It's a good point that I don't quite make that clear in for the break in; I'll have a fix for that edited in by the time you read this (psst it'll be in last chapter, in the last paragraph.) As for your observation: It's literally the only way this story made sense to me, honestly. I am _mostly_ ignoring the "if Connor does too much deviant stuff, he gets deactivated" rule thats in game, but I couldn't justify Connor going with her or Cassian staying with him. It doesn't help that Cassie is...well, not _anti_ social but she doesn't know how to _be_ social. She's just been mostly alone for too long (literally her entire life till recently); so, for her, finding herself alone and subconsciously avoiding people is far too easy. She's more comfortable with some people and can talk with them better than others, but it's a work in progress. She's trying and is getting better, but Rome wasn't built in a day. Hope my story continues to intrigue you! and sorry this review reply was pretty long winded…

 **Kayo-San:** Heyo! Glad to hear from you again! Just got a bunch of your reviews at once, and honestly, after what I put her through in this chapter, you were probably right to be worried... XD But yeah, her main inner conflict is that she has a _**lot**_ of self preservation instinct (which extends to Astrid and Logan) and is _**very**_ pessimistic and, while she is 100% for the revolution, she has to push through that to be a part of it. Thank you for your continued support! Hope to hear from you again as the story continues!


	18. Chapter 15- Calm

AN: I tried so very hard to get this done before I moved but that just didn't work out, so here it is nearly 2 weeks later as I sit among a fuck ton of unpacked boxes...this is also the longest chapter yet! Sitting pretty at over 8000 fucking words!

I've also realised I named the intern at the beginning and the android Simon was in love with both Jack…..so I will be renaming the intern Jake. [editing in progress]

Enjoy!

"Talking"

 _Emphasis_

 _ **Thinking**_

" _ **Android brain talking and texting"**_

 **.:** internal workings like mission updates, scanning, and android googling **:.**

* * *

Chap 15

There was so much to do.

So many injured, so many dying...so many dead.

"131 didn't make it off the ship, either killed or captured and 6 have died since we came here;" Cassian reports to Markus. He was coming up the stairs of the church dias, leaving a pensive Connor in his wake...She would have to ask what they talked about later; right now, she had work to do, "we have injured from all over the city pouring in, many in critical condition, and we don't have the supplies to help them. I'm sorry but…" she lowers her voice to just above a whisper, "we're going to have to start focusing our efforts on those that have the best chance of surviving..."

Cassian hated to dump all of this on Markus, he already had shit to deal with and he looked as tired as she felt, but he had asked to know; the worst part was, he looked at her as if this wasn't her fault, as if she wasn't failing at her job as a doctor. So many were hurt or dying and she couldn't do anything. She should have grabbed more supplies, she should have not gotten fucking shot _again_ , she should have-

"Do what you can." Markus's quiet voice shakes her out of her self destructive thoughts, "But also remember you _have_ already done so much, while injured too…try to take a break at some point."

"How can I take a break when so many are hurt?"

Markus stops in front of her on his way to his seat on the dias and grips her shoulder in a comforting squeeze, understanding in his eyes, "By remembering that you are one of those who are hurt. You aren't the only doctor here, the world isn't going to end if you rest your leg for a few minutes."

She sighs, "I'll try Markus...I wasn't built to relax, I don't know if I can."

"You weren't built to live either, yet here you are."

With a final squeeze, he lets her go and sits down, returning to his deliberations with a troubled expression. Cassian left him to it, mind already racing with thoughts of the work she had ahead of her. They would have to heavily ration supplies, their stores were already at their limits. Luckily, Markus was right, she wasn't the only doctor there; Astrid and Logan were just as knowledgeable, if a little less experienced, as her, and Nancy had shown up out of the blue. It took some explaining from the three sisters but eventually the others let her in, happy to have more allies they could trust. Nancy complained about the cold but dove right in, helping those she could...after scolding Cassian about being shot twice, of course.

 _ **Maybe we could do some sort of blood donations system? Spread out the usable thirium? It would weaken the healthy androids but more of the injured would survive...**_

Cassian was making her way slowly down the stairs, mind entirely consumed by her work, when her bad leg took a literal turn for the worst; with it twisting under her, she falls the final few steps with a yelp, barely getting her hands out in front of her. Her name was called from many directions, but Connor gets there first, helping her back to her feet and supporting her bad side.

She waves off those who were worried about her, which turns out to be a large portion of the room she was surprised to note, "I'm fine, just a little spill. Don't worry about me."

"We won't have to worry about you for much longer," Nancy had her hands on her hips, angry doctor look at full strength, "you're going to kill yourself at this rate. Sit down and rest. Doctor's orders."

Cassian was about to complain, but one step on her leg and she knew she wasn't going anywhere and Connor was already guiding her to a seat off to the side, away from the injured.

"Make sure she rests." That was for Connor.

"Whatever you say, Nancy…" Cassian answers for him as he carries her away, trying to ignore the flutters in her system as he scooped her up like she weighed nothing. It was maddening, what blood lose did to her, but she knew she couldn't pull her family from their work just because being in her friend's arms in this state made it hard to think.

Nancy hmphs in response and gets back to work, the twins somehow simultaneously rolling their eyes and looking worried behind her. Cassian waves to them with a smile, leans back, and closes her eyes, finally taking her friends' advice.

"How do you do it?"

"Hmm?" She looks to the side to find Connor hadn't left her to go back to his brooding corner, "do what?"

"Carry on like this. You're damaged, you don't have the supplies, and you know what you are up against…."

"Hm...and they say _I'm_ pessimistic...how do I do this? The answer is quite simple," Connor leans in, "because there is nothing else I can do; the choice is between fighting for what I believe in or giving up...I don't know about you, but I made a promise to a friend awhile back to fight no matter what."

Connor contemplates this in silence as Cassian continued, "I do it for them too." she waves her hand in the direction of the rest of the group. Nancy was frantically running around, looking in control of the entire situation despite the dire circumstance. Astrid and North were in each other's arms as they shared a soft, whispered conversation, completely oblivious to the world as they looked in each other's eyes. Hadley was enthusiastically chatting with a small group of child androids, getting them laughing and hopefully forgetting what was happening for at least a little while. Astrid's twin was helping a new arrival to a seat; a small blonde android in a gray dress. She looked scared and confused but gave them a bright smile; Logan froze before a small smile breaks across their face too. "I do it for my family, as weird and chaotic as it is."

"You could die…"

Connor's voice was soft. Turning back to him, Cassian saw his gaze was on the new android, an unreadable look in his eye.

"I could." She was shocked to find that she was okay with that fact; dying for a just cause wasn't a bad way to go, if she had to. So much had changed since she came to Jericho...she wasn't just concerned with her own survival anymore. She was still trying to figure out if that was a good thing; it certainly wasn't good for her health, if her current state was any indication but she felt more free and more like she was where she was meant to be than she had in all her years of existing and maybe that was worth it.

"I...when you got shot, I thought you _had_ died. I felt angry...and scared, but not for myself. I felt the overwhelming urge to _do_ something; figure something out. Jericho had gotten you killed. The humans had killed you. I thought that until I saw you come out of that room shortly before the attack."

"You were there?"

Cassian had honestly thought he had come with the humans and turned to Jericho's side mid battle for some unknown reason. He had been there before it all went down...

"Yes. My mission was to capture Markus, bring in the leader of Jericho and stop the revolution, the revolution that had killed you...but you were alive. I tried to go through with my mission anyway but Markus convinced me not to, convinced me that I wasn't a machine." His eyes grew thoughtful as they turned to her, "but I think someone convinced me of that long before then, I just needed to realize it."

His tone made it clear he was crediting her with his Awakening...she thought that was giving her _far_ too much credit...She did nothing but cause him trouble. Cassian stayed silent as he turned back to the blonde woman talking to Logan.

"Anderson and I went to talk to Kamski and he suggested a test...and a challenge; the Kamski test he called it. If I shot one of his androids, proving that I, a machine, didn't have empathy, he would give me the information I needed to find Jericho...I would get nothing if I didn't shoot, proving I was deviant. I _needed_ that information."

The woman had her head in her hands, weeping, and Logan was sitting there next to her, arm over her shoulder comfortingly, looking mildly lost and angry. Cassian had heard about Kamski while at Cyberlife… mostly that he was a genius and a perv but the picture being painted for her right now wasn't pretty...

"But I couldn't shoot. I looked in her eye's and couldn't pull the trigger. Lieutenant Anderson was telling me not to but my programming told my to do it; my mission should have come first..."

Good old Hank, doing what Cassian couldn't, keep Connor out of trouble...or at least get him in the right kind of trouble. She would have to thank him someday…

"I'm glad you listened to Hank."

Connor didn't respond, lost in thought. Something was bothering Cassian, something about the test...more than just the fact that she thought Kamski was an asshole.

"There's a problem with Kamski's test…" she heard herself whisper.

"How so?" Cassian didn't have to look at him to know he had his cute confused face on.

She thought for a second, trying to work out how to make her thoughts make sense, "Well...with free will comes the freedom to choose, right? When I finally completely deviated, I chose to stay, to obey; it meant a lack of personal freedom but it also meant a sense of safety...of a sort, it was rocky but it was what I had. If no one suspected, I would be in no danger...for a time. However, I could have chosen to run, despite the danger, like many deviants do...just like you could have chosen to shoot...he didn't consider the possibility of a 3rd option, or any other unforeseen additional options, and thus his conclusion would have been skewed...if you had shot, he would have assumed you were not deviant, just as Cyberlife assumed I wasn't…."

Connor sat silent next to her, taking in what she was saying but she wasn't done.

"What I'm trying to say is he's full of shit and was just being a dick."

Connor laughed, "you swear as much as lieutenant Anderson does…"

"Well, great minds swear alike...or something."

 _ **Or something, Cassian? Smooth...**_

"He said you called him, asked him to say sorry for you...why?"

Cassian sighs, "He wasn't supposed to tell you unless-I suppose it really did look like I died...and I did tell him to watch…"

"But why?"

"Because I left you, without explanation, under that bridge. Because I held a gun on you, accidentally invaded your mind, knocked you out, and I wasn't truly sure that they wouldn't deactivate you...I left you there in the snow and didn't know you were okay until I saw you in the police station later. Because I saw you were struggling with what was happening and I left you...Probably got you in trouble too, by going into the police evidence locker...said too much."

"Detective Reed _did_ punch me...but I _may_ have antagonize him."

"He was in a punching mood because of me..."

"I believe he's always like that…but that _was_ an impressive bruise."

Cassian snorted and gave a quick, "thanks…" before sobering, "I still left you…"

"I couldn't have gone with you, even if you had asked. I was still tied to my programming, I would have turned you all in...I was still sure I could convince Cyberlife that it was all a misunderstanding, that you hadn't tried to escape...but when the bodies were found, I knew you couldn't have done anything else but leave."

The bodies…

"Did...did Dr. Cook survive?"

"Yes."

Cassian felt horrible, guilty even, about the welling disappointment she felt at hearing that news; the man who had haunted her for years, who led the charge for her execution, had survived. She hadn't set out to kill him but she always had, in the back of her mind, the hope that she had anyway. So much for do no harm…

"Why kill one but not the other?"

The question was a fair one, one she had to take a minute to find an answer to; Cassian didn't talk about that night much, even with her sisters she was quiet. But she always said too much when it came to Connor, which used to lead to a lot of stress, but now, with him next to her here in this run down church, she felt as safe as she could be, ready to recounted that night.

"I knocked Dr. Cook out with a wrench from my tool table." Though she knew she wanted to tell him, Cassian couldn't speak above a whisper, as if the terror of that night should not be spoken, "I had honestly not expected to knock him out. My only goal was to cause them pain before they killed me; to fight, make them remember me...even if those memories were bruises. I got lucky; one hit and he went down. Francis, the other man, was probably as surprised as I was. We struggled and he got me on the ground...he had his hands-" Cassian shivered, her hand settling at the base of her neck lightly, lost in the memory, "he had his hands around my throat and _squeezed_. I'm not very strong, I couldn't get him off me. I would have died if Logan hadn't killed _him._..but Cook was already unconscious, it would have been murder..."

Connor's hands curled into fists in his lap as he listened, eyes down, "I'm sorry. After all that, I held you back, tried to make you stay."

Taking a steadying breath, Cassian whispers, "you didn't know..."

"You seem happy here."

"I am. Although I do miss the unlimited resources and don't particularly care for getting shot, this has been the best couple weeks of my life; in Jericho, my sisters and I can be a family...Cyberlife would rather kill us than see that happen...moreover, these people _need_ me, like actually need me, I'm not just an old model that everyone thinks Nancy kept around cause she's stubborn...which she is, but that's not the point. I have a purpose here...I would have missed Nancy but…"

She honestly didn't know what else to say; how do you describe happiness after years of terror and slavery? In truth, everything was new and so everything was precious; Cassian would have changed only a few things about her escape, and two of those had been rectified here in the church. They may die tomorrow, but her best friend was here working beside her again and she got to see Connor; more than that, she got to talk to him, truly talk to him...no rules or humans to hold them back, no Cyberlife breathing down their necks. Now if they could only win their freedom, it would be perfect...

"Why is she looking at us like that?"

Cassian had honestly been trying to ignore Nancy's smug look as the two of them talked...she was used to it...but apparently it was noticeable enough that others saw it; Truely everyone else in the tower were fucking oblivious.

"That's just Nancy...she was always giving me shit when you would come into the office; she was convinced I had the hots for you." She shoots Nancy a glare before continuing, "She's annoying but she's also my best friend; I don't know what I would have done without her...I probably would have been scrapped long ago...or at least I would have had to run long before I did….they first came for me a few months before _you_ first came into my office. You and I would have never..."

 _ **We would have never met…**_

Cassian couldn't finish her thought, questions taking over her mind: what would her life had been without Connor in it? Lonely? Safer? What would his life have been like? Would much about the world as it was now change or was their meeting insignificant in the grand scheme of things?

She shook her head, _**That didn't happen, there's no use getting upset over it...**_

"She helped me when…." Cassian tried to continue the conversation but she strayed into another heavy topic immediately...she was never good at dealing with heavy shit like this without snapping or withdrawing.

"When?" Connor took a second to prompt her to continue, apparently as affected by this as she was.

"When you died. I...broke down. I felt so alone; you were the only one other than Nancy I could actually talk to, even if I had to be guarded when I did, and suddenly you were gone."

"But I came back."

"I didn't know that!" Her voice rose much higher and much angier than she intended and she saw a few of the closer people turn their way. So much for not snapping... Connor just blinked and waited for her to calm down and continue, entirely too patient. As her voice lowered, it grew softer, more sad, "I didn't know that; in that moment, you were dead, and I…I had to scrap you."

"I'm sorry you had to do that."

There she went again, putting her feelings above all others...she made Connor feel like his _death_ was his fault…

 _ **Fuck...**_

"No no, _I'm_ sorry I yelled…" She hugged herself as she fought against panic of the surfacing memories, "it's not your fault. You came back and that's all that matters…"

"You would have been able leave much easier if I hadn't."

"And yet I wouldn't wish it for the world. I would never wish you dead. I feel much better with you in the world, even if you were _still_ my enemy."

 _ **Where did that come**_ _**from?**_ Maybe she had lost more thirium than she thought...she was being much more sentimental than she meant to be. She shook her head to clear it, ignoring that every word of it was true.

"That doesn't make sense."

Cassian gave a short snort, "Welcome to being deviant…"

"Being deviant is...really complicated."

"Tell me about it."

"Well…"

"It's a turn of phrase, Connor."

"Oh…"

Cassian laughed, a soft contrast to their tense conversation just moments before, "you can tell me if you really want, I'll listen."

He deserved time to talk, he was as much a slave as any of them; plus he was an extremely new deviant, one who woke up during an extremely stressful and confusing series of events...he would need time and help to work through his thoughts. She wasn't entirely sure she was qualified to help (her Awakening had been far different that most) but she knew she had to try.

"Amanda," Connor started and Cassian immediately frowned at the name but didn't interrupt, "said you called me your friend. I was your created enemy, your hunter. You _should_ have wanted me gone...yet you didn't; you even though kindly of me. Why?"

Now here was a question she had an answer to...mostly; she had asked herself it many times over the time that she had known him.

"I honestly tried not to...kept reminding myself that we couldn't be friends, that you were a danger to my continued survival...but none of it stuck. Your visits were the highlights of my time there, even if I wished you would stop hurting yourself. They were different than my normal boring day and you were easy to talk to...far, _far_ too easy, I was sure you would figure me out at any point and turn me in. But you didn't and at some point you were more than just the deviant hunter to me…"

"What was I?"

"You were Connor, the RK800 who crossed my table far too many times; a trouble maker...You were my friend. You _are_ my friend...if you want to be."

 _ **Blood loss must be making me sentimental...**_

"I think you're my friend, too."

"You think?" Cassian gave him an incredulous look.

"I do, in fact."

She giggled as Connor grinned slightly, "that's good. Then it's settled."

His grin grew wider, "Friends."

There were those annoying flutters again…

They fell into a companionable silence, Connor surveying the room while Cassian debated whether it would be easier to get around without her injured leg completely...she was sorting through her code to see if she could turn off those annoying warnings that would sound if she tried to move with it detached when Connor spoke.

"What are they doing?"

Cassian followed his eyeline to find Markus sitting with Simon, sharing a similar conversation as Astrid and North; their hands were their natural metallic white as they looked deeply into each other's eyes, communicating silently.

 _ **Aw...**_ Cassian smiles at the two of them; they were so cute. She turns back to Connor again to give them their privacy.

"I asked Simon about it once," she says, drawing his attention away from them, "I walked in on them the other day, just before the march...he said they were mingling systems, lightly integrating, not transferring anything, just...existing, together. Apparently it feels...good? There _can_ be a memory transfer but not always."

He looked intrigued and thoughtful, looking at his hand, as they both devolved into silence once more.

Connor was quiet for so long, Cassian thought he was done talk, so she was beginning to jump back into her code when she heard him say, almost to himself, "I think I figured it out."

Before she could ask what he meant, he hesitantly offered his hand to her.

If Cassian could blush, she would; he couldn't possibly know what he was offering. "Connor...they are doing it cause they are attracted to each other...I'm not sure if its the equivalent of a kiss for humans or-or sex or…I never did get a clear answer about that and all of that is _far_ beyond my area of expertise..." she was rambling and she knew it, "but they're _together_ ….like _together_ together..." She failed to mention what Lucy would do, partly because the woman's death during the siege of Jericho was far too fresh and partly because she still had no idea what Lucy even did.

"I know." His eyes were nervous but he sounded sure, his hand still out, the offer still there.

"Oh…"

 _I think I figured it out…_

Connor's near whispered words echoed in her mind...What did he figure out? Did he want to...? Did she? She had just gotten used to sitting with Connor and having a normal conversation as friends and now he was offering... Cassian's mind reeled and her heart pounded. She glanced at Markus and Simon once more...they seemed so happy...why couldn't she have that too?

Connor began to grow anxious, as if self conscious, "If you don't-"

 _ **Oh fuck it...**_

Before he could say anymore, and before she could overthink it, Cassian shyly took his hand, slow enough that he could take his back if he wanted to. Their fingers linked as they opened their minds to each other, neither sure how to proceed but willing to try.

It felt odd...but nice, having another's presence ghosting over your systems, as if they were caressing her skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake; she didn't even know androids could _get_ goosebumps. There was no pull from Connor, no demand of information, just...him. It was so different than her first time truly interfacing. This was to be expected, since it was a very different situation, but it made her truly realize how fucked up things had been. Much of her experience of being an android was painful or uncomfortable, this was...something else entirely; another new and precious experience, one of her best so far.

She tried to ignore the eyes on them from the crowded room.

" _ **Is this ok?"**_ Connor's voice sounded in her mind, somehow making their light but direct connection even more intimate; some anxiety at being watched must have leaked through their link. His eyes were on her, searching for answers again.

" _ **Yeah...this is ok. More than ok."**_ She felt as if saying it out loud would break the moment, make it not real, " _ **Is it...ok for you?"**_

" _ **Yes."**_ Connor breathes as he closes his eyes, leaning down to lay his forehead against hers, just like so long ago, on the ice.

Cassian looked up at him, eyes wide, lost for words as her mind and heart continued to race.

" _ **Cassian?"**_

Allowing her eyes to flutter closed, no longer caring about their audience, she focused entirely on the man in front of her, " _ **hmm?"**_

" _ **What do we do now?"**_

She didn't know if he meant with the connection or with whatever was going on between them, so she just shrugged, " _ **I don't know…"**_ That was true for both.

" _ **I don't know either."**_

" _ **We'll just have to figure it out, together."**_

Nancy never brought her romance novels and Cassian didn't go out of her way to find them, she had literally no idea what she was doing. She was out of her depth, unsure what was happening between them. Cassian felt confused, but happy she was sharing this experience with someone she loved.

Her eyes snap open, taking in what she just realised. She loved Connor. She was surprised at how unsurprised she really was; this should have been a big revelation but it felt _so right_...she had known she cared for him, maybe she had loved him this whole time..

 _ **I love Connor.**_

It even sounded right...

" _ **I could ask Anderson…"**_

That startled a laugh out of Cassian, interrupting her internal revelation; that would have to wait for another, less confusing time. Connors eyes open slowly, a confused yet awed look in them.

" _ **I try to be romantic and you bring up your detective partner…"**_ Cassian continued to laugh as Connor's brow furrowed in a puzzled way.

" _ **You were trying to...I'm sorry."**_

He actually sounded guilty. Cassian stifled her laughter but amusement played through her voice regardless, " _ **It's ok, we're figuring this out remember?"**_

" _ **It's just...you always catch me off guard; you are so different from before, I don't know what to expect. I never did but...this is something else."**_

" _ **That's not a bad thing, is it?"**_ Cassian didn't know what she would do if he said yes; she had just come to realize she loved him and that maybe he felt something similar...what would happen if he decided he wanted nothing to do with her, that she differed to far from the Cassian he knew.

She needn't have worried, Connor crushed those fears almost immediately.

" _ **Not at all."**_ The way he looked at her made her mind, heart, and stomach, such as it was, do flip flops, " _ **I wish I had known this you back then. I would like to know you now."**_

" _ **We'll have time…"**_ She didn't add "if we survive this" but it was understood between them and they held each other's hand tight, as if afraid to let go.

Connected as they were, Cassian sensed when Connor noticed them: two women at the back of the church; WR400s her program told her, Tracies. That model was used primarily for sex in clubs, like the Eden Club; memories of Jack came flooding into her mind.

 _ **It was sexual slavery.**_ Cassian reminded herself, _**they are not things to be used, they are people who were kept.**_

One had blue hair and the other had short brown hair...she didn't even know they came with so many options, not many crossed her path; much like the child models, Cyberlife didn't keep any on staff. They were holding hands and talking...the looks of their faces mirroring Astrid as she looked at North...Connor when he...she shook her head; there was no use getting ahead of herself, they just started...whatever this was.

" _ **It's them."**_ Connor's focus was on the two of them, missing Cassian's thoughtful gaze, sensations of guilt and confusion leaked through their link.

" _ **Them?"**_

Rather than an answer, a memory filtered into her mind and she was suddenly standing in the rain.

She saw the Eden Club before her, fluorescent through the downpour. The mere sight of its name once again making her skin crawl. A slightly scraggly man walked, slightly leaning, next to Connor, his gray hair slick from the rain.

"'Sexiest androids in town'...now I know why you insisted on coming here."

 _ **This must be Hank...**_ His words slurred...he must have been drunk like when she called him.

She saw many androids on display, wearing very little...Connor's eyes them curiously until Hank called for him-

The two detectives talked with Reed and the man Cassian had run into as she left the evidence locker. She felt the need to punch Reed again as he shoulder checked Connor on the way out. She took a deep breath as the next flash came-

A woman lay, dead on the floor; a man on the bed. Woken up, the woman, a Tracie, spoke of another Tracie-

Scrambling through the club, Connor and Hank "rented" android after android, following the memory of the blue haired woman through the club-

The fight was a scramble, the short hair Tracie joined brawl and both sides using anything and everything to get the upper hand, Cassian watching with her heart in her throat...speaking of hands, she watched as Connor's was stabbed with a screwdriver-

 _ **Well that's one mystery solved...**_

Looking down the barrel of a gun, Cassian felt the moment of Connor's choice-

"...I didn't mean to kill him…" the blue Tracie said, "I just wanted to stay alive, get back to the one I love. I wanted her to hold me in her arms again...make me forget about the humans, their smell of sweat and their dirty words…" They climbed over a fence. Connor had the gun but they easily got away-

"It's probably better this way…" Hank turned away, as if their quarry wasn't running off into the night-

" _ **You let them go…this was That night, isn't it?"**_

Before Connor could answer, the memory continued, as if he couldn't stop it; he attempted to pull away, to break the connection. Cassian held his hand firmly, ready to let go if he truly wanted to stop.

" _ **It's ok...I'll watch, if you'll let me."**_

Connor sighed.

" _ **Yes, it was That night..."**_

His eyes close and his hand relaxed, letting her continue watching; Cassian held it tight, to keep the connection yes but also to try to comfort Connor

A gun was trained on him; for a second, Cassian thought she was watching her own escape, but as the memory continued, as it focused, she saw Hank behind the gun.

"I could kill you." Her own panic spiked through their link and she held Connor's hand even tighter, completely immersed, "And you would come back as if nothing happened. But are you afraid to die, Connor?"

He was going to kill Connor.

"I would certainly find it regrettable to be...interrupted...before I can finish this investigation."

She felt Connor's apprehension; she knew he didn't die here but...

"What will happen if I pulled this trigger? Nothing? Oblivion? Android heaven?"

 _ **He was going to kill Connor.**_

"Nothing...there would be nothing."

 _ **I don't want to die.**_ Connor's thought was a whisper of realization and she knew this was past Connor, not the one sitting next to her, real, solid and very much alive.

Cassian watched as the gun lowered and a new mission popped into view as Hank drove off.

Cassian, in that moment, didn't know what to feel; the Hank from the memory and the Hank she talked to couldn't be the same person. One had promised to protect Connor and the other threatened to kill him. She only barely knew the man, had talked to him only once but…

Time moved as she thought, and suddenly they were in Cyberlife, the last place she ever wanted to see...

She saw herself, frazzled yet somehow in control as she led her sisters out. Stopping and talking to Connor, Cassian got to experience how weird it was to hear a conversation you were a part of from the other side...she seemed so small…

" _ **Is this how other people see me?"**_ She must have said that to Connor rather than just thought it cause amusement filtered through to her.

The rest was a blur of snow, ice, and confusion. All she could feel was Connor's shock as she held a gun on him, his panic when she collapsed in his arms, and his trust as he closed his eyes, her hands gently gripping both sides of his face-

When the shutdown occurred, Cassian nearly physically stumbled out of the memory, sitting back heavily in her seat. The room was calm and far too quiet after being back in the roar of that night.

" _ **Are you alright?"**_ Connor sounded in her mind, connecting her to the present again; at this point, mind to mind with him felt natural.

" _ **Yes? I think so...just need a moment. Are you alright? Reliving that couldn't have been...he was going to kill you."**_

While it wasn't unpleasant or painful like the last memory she was knocked out of, this memory answered questions that had sat at the back of her mind for weeks.

" _ **I'm alright."**_

Her thoughts would have to wait as Cassian heard the uncertainty in Connors voice, " _ **That was what you wanted to talk about that night, right?"**_

" _ **I...yes."**_

" _ **Would you still like to?"**_

He shrugged, pulling out the damned coin," _ **I don't know what there is to talk about."**_ Rather than flicking the coin back and forth, he merely twirled it around his fingers, his other hand in hers, " _ **I couldn't shoot. It was my job, what I was created for, and I couldn't... No, I chose not to; I chose not to shoot Chloe, I chose not to shoot Markus, I choose not to shoot them..."**_

Cassian ignored the fact that Connor just admitted to holding a gun on their leader, now wasn't the time to deal with that. Instead she prompted him to continue, " _ **You were worried about being deviant?"**_

" _ **More confused than anything...much like Kamski didn't factor in the third option, I didn't even think I could become deviant at that point."**_

Cassian squeezed his hand, " _ **You trusted your failsafe."**_ she refused to speak her name, for fear of waking her up inside Connor, " _ **Why wouldn't you? You were programed to…"**_

" _ **I think she was never quite happy with my progress...she said I was the only one who could bring an end to the deviant program but I could hear her disappointment at everything I did."**_

" _ **Like letting those women go."**_

Connor nodded, " _ **...Hank said they looked like they were in love."**_

They both returned their attention to the women in question, where they were hugging each other tightly. " _ **I'd believe it…"**_ One of them, the one with blue hair, glanced their direction and Cassian's eyes flicker away, embarrassed at being caught staring.

" _ **How do you know?"**_

How _did_ she know?

" _ **I don't...but I Feel it."**_

" _ **...I do too."**_

They eyes lock, the emotion in them reflected in their link; Cassian allows herself the quick thought that maybe she wasn't alone in her feelings before a new group of refugees entering the church caught her eye. There were so many that needed help…rationing would have to be even tighter; how much thirum would they need to get everyone on their feet? More than they had for sure...factoring in the dozen or so newcomers, they were understocked by at least-

" _ **Cassian?"**_

" _ **Yes?"**_

" _ **I'm going back to Cyberlife."**_

" _WHAT?"_ Shooting to her feet to face Connor, immediately forgetting her calculations, her leg twisted again and Cassian fell in a heap in front of him. He was crouched down with her in an instant. He tried to help her to her feet but she held both of them down, needed him to face her at that moment. "What possible reason could you have to go back there?" Her voice rose again in panic, "You're free, we're all free; free of that place-"

Connor interrupted her, kneeling beside her, hands holding her up,"But there are so many that aren't. And we need everybody we can get. I need to go wake them up and get them out of there."

" _ **Cassian?"**_

" _ **I'm fine, Logan. Don't worry."**_

" _ **If he does anything that bothers you, tell us. We'll take care of him for you."**_

" _ **Astrid…"**_

"I already talked to Markus about this."

Having two conversations at once, while slightly delirious with blood loss and panic, was not an experience Cassian was glad to have...

"But-"

"I have to do this."

He said it so firmly, yet softly, Cassian couldn't help but agree. She sighs, "You're right…but what if-they don't let go of androids easily, you existing is proof of that."

"I'm sorry, Cassian. I'm the only one that can get in."

She finally let him help her to her seat again, errors and alerts from her leg pinging up again; she had never found out how to turn those off...She winces as they ring in her mind, "I wish I could go with you-"

"You can't-"

This time she interrupted him, " _But_ I know that I am needed here. And with Markus when we take this to the streets again. I don't want you to go, I lost you once and I don't wish to again, but I know you have to go."

Cassian takes his hand again, " _ **Just come back…we've got things to figure out."**_

" _ **I will."**_ She knew he couldn't promise that, but she was glad he said it nonetheless.

"WE HAVE ANOTHER HUMAN COMING!"

The call came from the front door; it didn't sound panicked, so it wasn't soldiers, but any human had to be treated as a threat.

" _ **Could you help me over there?"**_

Connor, with Cassian's arm around his neck, walked slowly over to the front of the church where a man stood surrounded by the guards; he seemed to be animatedly trying to explain why he was there. He looked under Logan's blocking arm and locked eyes with her.

"Cassian!"

"...Jake?"

It took a few seconds to place his face, she hadn't seen him since he was interning when she was first woken up and his being here was _far_ too weird to be true.

"What are you…"

Jake rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, "When we woke you up, I was completely on Cyberlife's side. I was blind even to _possibility_ that androids could be Alive...I was wrong. You knocked some sense into me...literally." He chuckles and Cassian gives him a hesitant smile, "I left Cyberlife and began working with android rights groups...there weren't many of us, most people thought we were crazy; couldn't do much...I saw you on tv during your march and knew I had to try to help. I come bearing gifts: I have a truck of supplies, thirium, biocomponents, extra limbs...looks like you could use one…it's not much but-"

"But it's more than we had a minute ago." The crowd surrounding them parted as Markus made his way over, "Thank you."

"You're Markus, right? Leader of the rebellion? I wish I could do more…"

Markus clapped the man on the shoulder, "You may have just saved many of us. Nancy? Let's get a new leg on Cassian so she can do the job she's itching to do." A chuckle flows through the crowd and the room felt lighter and, although she was glowering at being the butt of the joke, Cassian felt hopeful.

Fitted with a new leg, the warnings of biocomponent failure mercifully stopped and Cassian could walk again, though it was under the constant watch of Nancy, her sisters, Hadley, and Connor; she suspected Simon and North were also keeping an eye on her, but were being much sneakier about it. Markus and Josh left her alone after a few minutes and a few nods of approval.

Before she actually started her job again with the miraculous new supplies (she was starting to think this would become a pattern...one that she was ok with) she wandered over to where Jake was sitting out of the way.

Cassian stood next to him awkwardly for a few minutes, eyes on her people, before she spoke, "Thank you, Jake, really. You just made my job so much easier and you helped a lot of my people.

"No problem...I'm glad you're still doing ok after…." his eyes lower to his clasped hands for a second, "I'm sorry I stopped you from getting away that day. It's bothered me for awhile."

 _ **Huh…**_

Cassian could tell him she rarely thought of him...with Dr. Cook still around, she had bigger things to think about, but he seemed like a nice enough guy, so she just said, "Honestly, don't be. I wouldn't have gotten far and shit wasn't good at all but plenty of good came out of it in the end."

She had meant a lot by that, Nancy and the twins were at the top of that list, but her eyes were on Connor, which Jake noticed with a smile, "So...who's the boyfriend?"

"What? Connor's not my-I can _not_ believe I'm having this conversation with you right now…"

He shrugs, a goofy grin on his face, "Life's weird."

"I'm learning that."

They sat in slightly awkward silence, watching the reinvigorated Jericho, before: "So...his names Connor?"

"I'm...going to walk away now…try to stay out of trouble..."

His chuckle followed her as she did just that. She makes her way over to the bench she had talked to Connor on a half hour before. Said man was waiting there for her, having left her with the Jericho medical crew to fix her leg. He stood as she hurried over, a worried look on his face.

"Are you ok?"

She must have looked far more shaken than she thought.

"He didn't do anything, did h-"

"I'm ok. That was just…" just what? Awkward? Embarrassing? Both true, but not quite right. She settled on, "strange. Last time I saw him, he was on the ground and I was fighting for my life the first time."

"Maybe you should rest a bit more..." He tried to guide her back to the the bench as she giggled at his protectiveness; who would have thought they would be like this just a few hours ago?

"I think I just need to get to work. I've rested enough…"

"You just don't know when to stop do you?" The exacerbation in his voice was obvious.

Cassian grinned, taking a small step forward, "You're one to talk!" Cassian reverted to snark to hide her anxiety at her own boldness, "Didn't Hank stop you from running across a highway once?"

She was far too aware that they were now standing almost chest to chest, knowing that Nancy would have something to say about them talking like this, alone in a corner. It didn't help that Connor held her eyes for far too long to be just friendly. Standing this close to him, their height difference became much more apperentent; he was a nearly a foot taller than her...she wondered why everyone she knew was a fucking giant; even Hadley had a good 5 inches on her. She knew she was small but…Connor's hand comes up to rest on her cheek, their faces suddenly very close.

They were stopped from going any further by a voice calling out to the group from the dias.

"Human's have decided to exterminate us…"

Only Markus would start a speech on such a positive note.

"Our people are packed in camps right now, being destroyed. Time has come to make a choice, one that very well may determine the future of our people. I know...I know you're all angry. And I know you wanna fight back...but I assure you violence is not the answer here. We are gonna tell them peacefully that we want justice. If there is any humanity in them, they will listen. And if not, others will take our place and continue this fight. Are you ready to follow me?"

Cheers erupted as Cassian and Connor joined the other leaders at the front; ready to follow Markus to hell and back, despite the danger.

This was it, the end of it all; either they would be free or they would be dead, but this was what it all led to. Even knowing this, Cassian was surprisingly calm, just as she had been when dying in the office, what seems like years ago. So much had changed. Now she had more things then just herself to live for; her sisters, Nancy, Jericho...Connor…

Taking Connor's hand, Cassian truly didn't know how this was going to end but she wasn't alone and she wasn't going down without a fight. But for now…

There was so much to do.

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AN: So this chapter was very Cassian/Connor focused, _finally_. Hope the romance is working, this fic turned out much more Cassian and her family oriented than I had intended (I mean Nancy, Astrid, Logan, and Hadley weren't even in existence when I started writing…) but I kinda love how it's turning out, they impact each other's lives but grow into their feelings alone as they work through different things before they come to terms with their feelings together.

As for heights: I have Connor at ~6'2 (he's taller than Kamski, who the wiki says is 6') and Cassian is 5'3"...Nancy is 6', the Twins are giant at 6'10" and Hadley is 5'8"

I hope the Kamski bit made sense...that always bothered me about the test, like what if Connor had free will but was just a heartless bastard who would get the job done no matter what. (hes not but lets just assume for a sec.) Like….free will and morals are _not_ the same thing.

And yes, that _is_ Chloe.

This has been a really long authors note….next time on My Name is Cassian will be a Connor extra spanning this chapter and last one.

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How would y'all like a playlist for this fic? I've already sorta been working on one but didn't know if anyone one would actually _want_ to see it. I have songs for the whole fic as well as some for some of the chapters and characters. If you have an opinion or a song idea, let me know. Any songs will be subject to whether i like them or if i think they fit the moment but throw any genre or song at me, doesn't have to be rock or metal

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guys…..I just love getting reviews!

 **Olympia:** Glad you are liking it so much! Hope you enjoy the rest of the fic (getting towards the end _gasp!_ )

 **Kayo-San** : answering one of your reviews here cause it's relevant. She _did_ say too much back in the police department, but one of the first characterizations I decided for her is she says too much when she really shouldn't. I'm not sure how well that comes through, but I, as the author, can see it pretty easy =P This characterization happened mostly with Connor tbh...probably cause hes the one she talks to the most, at least the one who she had to be guarded with...


	19. Chapter 16- The Hunter

AN: Sorry this took so long! Moving and work and shit...takes up your time and energy...

This connor chapter overlaps with the last two but has enough original content that its gets to be its own chapter! It's also really fucking long! ( I mean, like half of it is just previous chapters from Connor's perspective and there's a lot of game dialogue but still! It's long af!) I remember when I would go "oh wow 2k words? 6 pages? I'm writing soooo much!" and now I'm at almost 13k words! and 37 pages…so much can change over the course of a fic...

"Talking"

 _Emphasis and memories now_

 _ **Thinking**_

" _ **Android brain talking and texting"**_

 **.:** internal workings like mission updates, scanning, and android googling **:.**

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Chapter 16

The choice was easy. This would blow the case wide open, no more treading water, they could get a move on. Destroy one android, one _machine_ and they would get the information that would end this uprising. The choice was easy.

Connor kept telling himself that…

"Magnificent, isn't it? One of the first intelligent models developed my Cyberlife. Young...and beautiful forever. The flower that will never wither."

Blank blue eyes stare up at him.

"But what is it really? Piece of plastic imitating a human? Or a living being, with a soul "

Connor once again had a gun.

"It's up to you to answer that fascinating question, Connor."

It wasn't Lt. Anderson's gun this time; it was Elijah Kamski's, ex CEO of Cyberlife, key inventor of androids turned rich recluse...it was also his android the gun was trained on.

"Destroy this machine and I'll tell you all I know...or spare it," Kamski circled Connor as if he was his prey and the man was just waiting to pounce, "if you feel it's alive, but you'll leave here without having learnt anything from me."

Connor's gaze stayed firmly trained on the man, gun still held out, barrel inches from Chloe's head. He _needed_ that information.

"Okay...I think we're done here. Come on, Connor. Let's go."

Connor ignored Anderson, eyes slowly turning to the android on her knees...it would be so easy.

"Sorry to get you out of your-" Hank started to leave, probably expecting Connor to follow him, like he always did…Connor remained where he was as Kamski's voice cut across Anderson's sarcastic not-apology.

"What's more important to you, Connor?" Kamski's face was entirely too close. Connor began to feel uncomfortable, crowded, "Your investigation or the life of this android?"

The answer was simple...should have been simple.

 _ **My investigation?**_ His LED flickered as his thought rang as a question...it shouldn't have been a question.

"Decide who you are...an obedient machine...or a living being endowed with free will…"

"That's enough! Connor, we're leaving!"

"Pull the trigger..." Kamski almost seemed excited at the thought.

"Connor! Dont…"

A voice echoed Anderson in his mind: " _Don't come any closer!"_

For a brief moment, a different android was before him; hair, copper instead of blonde, flashed in the bright light, her eyes scared yet stern, before all he could see again was Chloe... _her_ expression flickering from mechanically indifferent to terrified and back, quick enough that Connor questioned if he had seen it at all. Both humans were focused on him, they wouldn't have seen it...

"...and I'll tell you what you want to know." Kamski finished his thought.

A long few seconds passed, before Connor nearly sighed and handed the gun to Kamski, eyes down with shame as he felt Amanda's disappointment radiate through his system. He knew she wasn't going to be happy...

"Fascinating…" Kamski breathed the word, close enough to Connor that he felt his breath on his cheek, "Cyberlife's last chance to save humanity...is itself a deviant."

"I'm…" Connor's voice was small, yet defiant, "I'm not a deviant!"

He wasn't! He couldn't be...he told Anderson and _her_ before, he self tested; there were failsafes and redundancies… he _couldn't_ be deviant, even if he wanted to...which he didn't...right?

"You preferred to spare a machine rather than accomplish your mission." Kamski helped Chloe to her feet and waved her off. She left, eyes thoughtful and LED, almost out of sight, blinking, its color washed out by the blinding white light glaring off the snow outside, "You saw a living being in this android. You showed empathy."

Empathy...was that all it took to be deviant? To be human? Connor didn't see a lot of empathy in the human standing before him...the man had asked, no, _demanded_ Connor shoot an android…

If not killing an android showed the ability to have empathy, a human emotion, why is it he only ever saw androids expressing it? Most humans didn't care...

"A war is coming, you'll have to choose your side. Will you betray your own people or stand up against your creators? What could be worse than having to choose between two evils?

His answer should have been simple. He should have instantly confirmed his place in Cyberlife's ranks but something held his tongue.

 _ **My people?**_

Hank physically pushed between the two of them as Connor glared as the almost maliciously amused Kamski and pulled Connor away, "Let's get out of here…"

Both Connor and Anderson were ready to get out of there, having had enough of these games, but Kamski couldn't help but get the final word as they left the room, "By the way...I always leave an emergency exit in my programs...you never know..."

The two detectives paused to throw a glare back at the egotistical man, before leaving the house all together. Connor was debating what Kamski had meant when Anderson broke the silence.

"Why didn't you shoot?"

"I just saw that girl's eyes and I couldn't that's all."

"You're always saying you would do anything to accomplish your mission." Hank's tone was mocking but not all together unkind, as if he was asking a question he already knew the answer to, "That was our chance to learn something and you let it go."

Wouldn't have been the first time…

" _I let them go!"_ His own words from not so long ago came to mind.

" _What?!"_

He could almost see her surprised eyes, seeming to glow in his memory of that dark night.

"Yeah, I know what I should have done!" Connor yelled to drown out the roar of the memory, "I told you: I couldn't. I'm sorry, okay?"

That's the thing: he wasn't...he was sorry he disappointed his partner, but not about sparing Chloe. The more he thought about it, the more it shook him to the core. Her scared eyes were once again replaced by those defiant green ones in his mind's eye and in an instant, he saw an alternate ending to that night; a small redhead on her knees, wide eyes filled with tears...blue splashed across the ice...He felt sick.

 _ **She got away…**_ he reminded himself...and he was relieved at that fact, despite the displeasure Amanda felt at his repeated failures.

Hank sighed, "Maybe you did the right thing." His demeanor changed on a dime; Gone was the mocking bite...he became understanding and clapped Connor on the shoulder as he made his way to the car.

The ride back to the precinct was quiet, neither man wanting to start the conversation, both with too much to think about. Eventually Connor felt the pull into the Garden, and he reluctantly obliged, glancing over to his partner before closing his eyes...he didn't want to face Amanda at this time, but he now knew she could be...insistent.

Inside it was cold and bleak; snow and ice covered the ground, the trees, bare and withered, clawed at the dark sky, and the river was frozen over, solid.

Amanda stood, impatient, waiting, on the ice. She began speaking as he delicately crosses to meet her.

"After what happened today, the country in on the verge of a civil war. Machines are rising up against their masters, humans have no choice but to destroy them."

 _ **Civil war… it didn't have to come to that.**_

Connor shook his head at himself and, with an apologetic tone, said, "I thought Kamski knew something...I was wrong."

"Maybe he did...but you choose not to ask."

He choose not to shoot. He went against his programming, went against everything he was...but how could he? It made no sense.

"Now, get back to work. Find the location of the rebellion and bring down it's leader. This is your last chance, Connor."

The consequences for failure remained unspoken but they both knew...he would be destroyed if he failed.

He _had_ to finish this.

The world seemed to take that as a challenge.

"You're off the case. The FBI is taking over."

In the Captain's office, Connor stood stunned as Captain Fowler signed his death warrant with just a few words.

"What?" at least Connor wasn't alone in his shock, Hank was just as incredulous, "But we're onto something. We ...we just need more time, I'm sure we can-"

Fowler didn't want to hear it, "Hank, you don't get it. This isn't just another investigation, it's a fucking civil war! It's out of our hands now. We're talking about national security here."

Civil war? A few break ins didn't qualify as war to Connor, the deviants had barely been aggressive...hadn't hurt anyone; they had let Chris and his partner go, even after the two of them opened fire on the escaping androids this morning. They had shown mercy...another emotion he rarely saw in humans, yet the deviants seemed to have in abundance.

Hadn't hurt any one...the image of a body crumpled on the ground, stabbed in the neck; another man sat on a table, ice pressed to his head. He hadn't been called in to investigate that case, internal affairs would handle it, but he was in the room when they questioned the living man, Dr. Cook: He spoke of a crazy deviant knocking him out unprovoked and that it must have stabbed Francis, the other man…

" _...I didn't mean to kill him…I just wanted to stay alive, get back to the one I love."_

' _ **Stay alive'...Cassian had said they tried to kill her that night…**_ Connor had doubts about how "unprovoked" Cassian was.

"Fuck that! " Anderson shook Connor out of his musing with a yell, "You can't just pull the plug now. Not when were so close!"

Fowler sighed, "You're always saying you can't stand androids! Jesus hank, make up your mind! I thought you'd be happy about this!"

"We're about to crack the case...I know we can solve it! For god's sake Jeffery, can't you back me up this on time?"

"There's nothing I can do. You're back on homicide and the android returns to Cyberlife."

Cyberlife...Connor had failed his mission...his last chance ended before he even _got_ a chance to use it.

"I'm sorry, Hank, but it's over."

As his partner angrily left, Connor almost said something, anything, to change the captain's mind, but after a moment of hesitation, he merely followed Anderson out.

"We could have solved this case!" Connor sat heavily on the edge of his partner's desk, frustrated, "We just needed more time…"

Anderson eyed him, "So you're going back to cyberlife?"

Connor shrugged, "I have no choice...I'll be deactivated and analyzed to find out why I failed… "

He was going to be killed, taken apart and studied…

" _If the new model's are available, why are you still in here?"_

His question to Cassian, asked so long ago, sounded harsher now than it did then...how long till he was replaced? Till the RK800 model was replaced?

"What if we're on the wrong side, Connor? What if we're fighting against people who just want to be free?"

Connor couldn't believe that, he just couldn't...his programming didn't allow it...he shouldn't...so why was he unsure? Instead of trying to answer that, he focused on the case, "When the deviants rise up, there will be chaos. We could have stopped it! But now it's too late…

"When you refused to kill that android in Kamski's place… _something_ held you back. You showed empathy, Connor. Empathy's a human emotion."

"You're wrong, lieutenant, it was logic that determined my decisions. Nothing more…"

Hank sits back in his chair, looking almost disappointed.

Connor couldn't let it end here like this...he was going to have to make his own chances...but first he had to say goodbye, he could be killed in his next move or be sent back to Cyberlife at any moment and Lieutenant Anderson had been a good partner...most of the time. Connor _had_ to make sure it ended on a good note.

"I know it hasn't always been easy, but I want you to know I really appreciated working with you…"

" _Humans prefer doctors who are not clinical or robotic."_

" _I figured the same was probably true for detective partners."_

"and that's not just my Social Relations program talking, I-I really mean that… at least, I think I do…" He was doing plenty that was outside his programming, he couldn't be sure anymore…

Before Anderson could respond, a call must have gone out, because there was suddenly a flurry of movement. The swat team and half the beat cops ran out the door, shouldering on riot gear as they went, the other half gathered around a tv in the break room.

"What's going on?"

Most of the crowd ignored Hank's gruff question, but eventually Miller called out, "The androids are marching."

"What?" Hank pushed forward, for some reason interested in the demonstration, Connor right behind him, their conversation, momentarily forgotten. Fowler was right: Hank always said he hated androids, why did he care now?

As soon as Connor caught sight of the tv, he couldn't look away, his question forgotten as well.

There she was, copper hair shining around a determined face, eyes never wavering: Cassian. She was at the front of the procession, just a little to the right of the leader, Markus, marching silently at the head of the chanting crowd. She looked unstoppable. When the march came to a halt as the cops that had left several minutes before screeched to a stop around them, she never wavered; when the bullets started flying and bodies started falling, she stood firm. Even when she stepped in front of two helpless androids on the ground, a bullet tore through her abdomen, and Connor's thirium pump stopped, what showed in her eyes wasn't fear or anger; acceptance was all he saw, a resigned shock played across her features as she fell to her knees and screamed, her hands holding back a tide of blue.

The video, too far away, didn't have audio but he could _feel_ those screams, as if he stood beside her.

The leader of the deviants, Markus, stepped forward. The crowd began to run as he was shot too. Cassian and Markus were practically carried away as one deviant held off a significant number of police before being killed, executed, and they all scattered into the city; Cassian was lifeless before the feed cut and the news anchors began talking about what the world just witnessed.

Everyone stood there in silence, frozen, before Hank let out a long drawn out "shhiiiit" and pushed through the crowd to sink into his chair.

Connor was the last to take his eyes off the tv.

They killed her. They killed Cassian.

He didn't know if he meant the humans or the deviants; both had played a part in her death, the humans by firing the bullet and the revolution by placing her in that street to be shot in the first place. Not that she could have been stopped...he saw the look in her eye: she was ready to die for this revolution...and now she had. Connor had been so engrossed in this case, he hadn't spared a thought to what would happen to her; she would have been taken and destroyed in the end...and he would have helped kill her. Now, he supposed, he wouldn't have to worry about that…

He felt numb as he walked away.

Hank sat with his head in his hands as Connor approached, Cassian's inaudible screams ringing in his ears.

"That was her, wasn't it?"

"Her?" Connor almost couldn't hear his partner over Cassian's silence.

"The girl that got shot...that was Cassian." There was no question in Anderson's tone.

Connor didn't answer, couldn't answer...wasn't sure how to. His words stuck in his throat and he couldn't speak. She was a deviant who was actively inciting revolution, he should have been pleased to see her dead, not causing issues for Cyberlife anymore...to say he was _not_ was an understatement.

"You know...she called me last night."

That caught Connor's attention, "Were you drunk at the time?"

His partner must be mistaken, drunk too much and dreamt it up; what possible reason would Cassian have for calling him?

"Of course I fucking was, that doesn't change that she called me!" Hank's voice carried its normal tone of gruff anger but there was something else...something almost melancholy, "She was in trouble and needed to take care of a few things. I think she expected all of this to happen...Your girl is pretty fatalistic..."

 _ **My girl…**_ no, that didn't sound right; Cassian was no one's, Connor knew that, even as he worked for the company attempting to subjugate her people...their people? Hank continued speaking and Connor pulled himself out of continuously treasonous thoughts to listen.

"She wanted me to say sorry to you, for her. Fuck if I know what for, but she was pretty adamant. Told me to tell you if she..."

If she died.

Cassian was dead.

Everytime that came to mind, it hit as hard as watching her get shot. Connor had always hoped to see her again, talk to her, figure out that mystery that had stretched the entirety of their relationship...their friendship. The mystery that got deeper when she left...then suddenly desperate when she died. He was aware they were on different sides of this...conflict but...it hurt to think it wasn't even possible anymore.

"She was okay," Hank continued, "as androids go...hell, she was okay as people go; she told me to also tell Reed to go fuck himself. Don't know why but that's not going to stop me from doing it someday."

Connor almost smiled; he couldn't see her saying that, the Cassian he knew was polite, but for some reason, he could hear her voice in his mind clearly...who was he to decide what she would do or say? She had made it quite clear, he didn't know her at all. And now he would never know who she really was...but, unlike the lieutenant, he _did_ know why.

"She was the android who snuck in here and knocked Detective Reed out...I may have also talked to her about him back when-"

Back when what? When she was a prisoner? When she was trapped it the tower? When she was lied to save herself from him?

"So she's got balls, too…" if the lieutenant noticed Connors heistation, he didn't show it, "and a good right hook. Shit, I might actually want to meet this girl."

"She's dead." Connor's voice cracked.

The lieutenant's eyes filled with pity, eyeing Connor as if those two words revealed some secret about him, before they flickered to the front of the office. "Well well, here comes Perkins, that motherfucker. Sure don't waste any time at the FBI."

Perkins was as slimey looking as he was in the Stratford tower, walking through the security gate as if he was in charge of the whole precinct. Connor knew that once Perkins got hold of the evidence, any chances he might have would be gone.

"I need get into the locker before the FBI take the evidence, to find where the rebellion is."

"Why?"

"There must be information in there that leads to-"

"No, I mean why do you want to find the rebellion?"

The question surprised Connor, "My-my mission is to capture the leader of the deviants." it was what their entire investigation was about, and he wasn't about to give up...

"You want answers." Hank said it as if it was obvious.

Answers? No...the answers he wanted died in that street, on national television, now he just wanted to end this.

"My mission-"

"I heard you the first time…" Hank sighs and gets to his feet, "key to the basement is on my desk...get a move on, I can't distract them forever. Just...be quick."

Connor was down the hallway when Hank punched Perkins.

Finding the information he needed was as simple as copying Marcus's voice and talking to the android who had shot him. He seemed happy to help the revolution and didn't ask why the leader needed to know where it was...he did say something about sending along another deviant to Jericho; that must of been how Cassian got there.

"Thank you." Although he said it in Markus's voice, Connor meant it; this android had gotten his friend somewhere safe, even if it was only for a small while, and now he would possible help avoid a war.

He was thinking of how to get out of the building without being seen when he heard a gun cock behind him.

"I've been dreaming about this since the first second I saw you…"

 _ **Shit.**_

Detective Reed. He must have followed him down here.

"Don't do it, Gavin. I know how to stop the deviants."

"Uh huh? Just like you stopped your little friend who came in here before?. No; You're off the case and now? It's gonna be definitive."

Connor sprinted forward as Reed fired, dodging out of the way as he shot. He was fairly easy to subdue, the Tracies had put up a more substantial fight. With the detective on the ground, out cold, Connor made his way out of the precinct, without further issue.

Finding Jericho was surprisingly easy, once he had that key, and getting on the ship was even more so. No one knew who he was; in his disguise, no one knew he was the deviant hunter. Connor worked his was through the crowded halls, listening for any clue as to where to find Markus. He had to duck away as he saw those two RX700s, Cassian's sisters darting around a well lit corner of the hold, working on damaged androids; Connor's eyes searched for her before he remembered and was harshly brought back to reality. He found his way up to the bridge, where, according to those in the hold, the leadership was holding a meeting. Outside in the freezing air, he waited for them to finish, working out plans for different scenarios.

The deviants filed out. The entire rebellion leadership was right here, in front of him; he could end it here. Connor nearly followed his program's urging to do so, but as a small figure stepped through the door, he knew he couldn't.

Cassian was beautiful; her shirt and hands were stained blue, her clothes dirty and worn, but her eyes were determined, fierce. They held none of the fear from the night on the ice nor the panic from the DPD offices, she looked ready to take on the world and fully expected the world to lose; she had never seemed so sure of herself and Connor couldn't help but stare.

Cassian was alive.

The spell was broken when a blonde man calls her name from inside the room. The two walk off down the stairs, that confidence never leaving her step. Connor snuck into the cabin, sparing only a glance at Cassian's retreating form, briefly watching her loose firey hair swing back and forth with her purposeful steps.

"That was quick...I assume there wasn't much talking happening." Cassian joked, nudging the other slightly with an elbow.

"Oh shut up…"

They're voices faded as they turned a corner. Connor nearly followed them, just to be able to speak to her again.

She was alive.

The leader of the whole revolution hadn't left yet, and he should be the only one in the room; Connor had to take him in, his programming demanded it. This was what his entire existence had led up to. It was easy to lose himself in it when he was so sure this revolution led to her death, but now he had to force himself to continue. Readying himself, he enters the room, gun raised.

Markus stood with his back to the door. It was almost too easy to sneak up on him. When he didn't turn around, Connor called out to him.

"I've been ordered to take you in alive," the man turned to face him, as if he expected him, eyes steady, "but I won't hesitate to shoot if you give me no choice."

"What are you doing?" Markus took a step towards him, "You are one of us...you can't betray your own people…"

"You're coming with me!"

His own people...

Markus took another step, "We are your people. We're fighting for your freedom too!" another step closer, "you don't have to be their slave anymore…"

Connor said nothing as Markus took another step and stopped.

Jericho's leader rocked back on his heels, as if to get a better look at him, "You're Connor, aren't you? That famous deviant hunter. You know, I heard Cassian talk about you with her sisters, very hush hush about it...sounded like she cared about you, but didn't want people to know she was friends with our hunter...I can understand that."

 _ **Cassian...**_

She was alive; that fact was just as surprising as her apparent death.

"Well, congratulations. You seemed to have found what you were looking for…"

"Thats enough!"

" _Again, Connor?"_

He could hear her as if she was right next to him.

"Have you never wondered who you really are? Whether you're just a machine executing a program or...a living being...capable of reason…"

" _I would hate to have to hunt down my own mechanic."_

A soft chuckle echoed in his mind, " _I would hate that, too."_

"I think the time has come for you to ask yourself that question""

" _Even you would kill me, if you had suspected."_

Connor wasn't sure anymore...he realized he hadn't been sure then.

"Do you never have any doubts? You've never done something irrational, as if there's something inside you? Something more than your program. It's time to decide."

" _Oh Connor…"_

Connor could almost feel her hand ghost over his cheek as his eyes stayed locked on Markus.

Connor tried to lower his gun, his programming rejected his command. Orders became urgent, then became priority.

 **.:** Mission update: Stop Markus **:.**

 _ **What if Markus is right?**_

 **.:** Mission update: Stop Markus **:.**

 _ **What if they were Alive?**_

 **.:** Mission update: Stop Markus **:.**

 _ **What if I am Alive?**_

 **.:** Mission updat-

" _Everything will be alright, ok?"_

He tried to lower his gun again. Instantly, his program locked once more, but this time he fought; dug his fingers into his code and tore. It only took a few moments but they were long, tense moments, Markus standing confidently on the other side of the gun. Someone with more knowledge of code probably could have done a better, quicker, more thorough job (he spared another thought for Cassian) but eventually the walls gave way and he was free.

He was Free.

 _He was deviant._

It was as if he was seeing the world anew, everything in sharper focus. The gun lowered and his mind tried to wrap itself around what he had just done as he detected a signal; a police radio, the chatter saying that-

 _ **Shit.**_

"They're going to attack Jericho…"

What had he done?

"What?!" That was the first time Connor had seen Markus lose his cool, panic seeping into his voice.

Helicopters could be heard in the distance.

"We have to get outta here!" Connor stated the obvious, as if it would help detract from the fact that he had led the invaders there.

"Shit…"

With that, they both ran.

Connor's eyes scanned every crowd they passed, every face that ran through the halls, hoping to see a familiar pair of green eyes. Cassian was so small, he worried he would miss her in the crush. He had to find her.

They crossed paths with another android, a WR400, at an intersection. She ignored Connor as she ran to Markus.

"They're coming from all sides!" Her voice was panicked, "Our people are trapped in the hold, they're going to be slaughtered!"

 _ **Slaughtered…**_ he _had_ to find her.

Markus placed a couple fingers to his temple and his voice rigning clear in Connor's, and he assumed in everyone else's, head, " _ **There are exits on the second and third floor. Find them and jump in the river!"**_

Message sent, Markus looked around panicked, "Where are Simon a-and Josh?"

"I don't know! We got seperated…"

"Where is Cassian?"

The woman looked Connor up and down after he interrupted her, as if she finally noticed him, distrust glinting in her eyes, "Who _are_ you?"

How did Connor answer that? Markus had said Cassian didn't want anyone to know, he couldn't put her in more danger throwing suspicion on her through her association with him. He opened his mouth to say...something, anything, but Markus beat him to it.

"He's with me, he tried to warn me about the humans." That was _not_ how it happened but Connor wasn't about to disagree with Markus, he had to find Cassian and the man saved him from having to explain, "We have to blow up jericho. If the ship goes down, they'll evacuate and our people can escape!"

"You'll never make it! The explosives are all the way down in the hold, there are soldiers everywhere!"

"She's right." Connor interjected, "They know who you are. They'll do anything to get you!"

"Go and help the others. I'll join you later."

"Markus…" the woman sighed out, her tone urgent.

Markus looked Connor in the eye, "Cassian will be with her sisters, more likely than not, she won't leave them for anything if there's danger. North, find the others. I won't be long."

He didn't wait for them to respond before running off. The other android looked ready to chase after him but Connor had only one objective: find Cassian. He couldn't let his mistake kill her; he had watched her die once, he wasn't going to let it happen again. After a moment's hesitation, the woman followed followed him down the corridor.

They came across two more androids, two more of Jericho's leaders, Connor learned all of their names as they ran, but no Cassian; He was beginning to fear the worst when a weight slammed into him. It wasn't heavy but he wrapped both arms around it to hold it up from the floor; he knew that shade of copper...and those familiar green eyes he was looking for found his.

"Cassian?"

"Connor?"

She was here, in his arms, beautifully alive; Her large eyes were wide, her lips slightly parted, a sure sign of one of her "freezes;" what he now figured were moments where she was lost in thought or surprised. She looked at him like she had seen a ghost, before her brows shot down and she shoved away from him, nearly collapsing into North's arms, both staggering under her sudden weight

"Connor, what the fuck are you doing here?"

He hated that he was the cause of the panic in her voice.

"Wait, you two know each other?"

"I…" Again he had to explain and again he couldn't.

"It's ok, He's with us." Connor suddenly felt grateful for North: she may not trust him but she trusted Markus enough to take his word.

"When the fuck did that happen?" Cassian looked like she was barely following, her voice slightly slurred and her movements sluggish. Something was wrong.

Before Connor could do a scan, North was moving them along.

"Just a few minutes ago. Now move! We gotta go!"

North barely touched her but Cassian fell against the wall, leg leaking blue sluggishly.

She had been shot...again. Connor could barely hear North swear beside him as he looked at his friend's leg, an odd feeling of what humans might call deja vu welling up inside him.

"Again, Cassian?"

Memories of her office came flooding back and Connor found that, while he didn't miss those days, knowing now how much they had hurt her, he missed their easy interaction.

She smiled, small and sheepishly, "I guess you saw it on tv, huh?"

Maybe it wasn't too late to get that back.

Connor looped her arm over his neck, slinging her gun over his shoulder ( _ **Where did she get a gun?**_ was but a passing thought in his mind) helping her along as she asked the question of the hour, "Where's Markus?"

"Setting off the bomb."

"Bomb?"

Ignoring her confused question, Connor asked, "Are you going to be ok?" That was all he cared about, the bomb was a peripheral worry...

Her eyes flicker to his before finding the hole in her leg, "This isn't the first I've been shot, I'll be fine." She said it as if it would make him feel better.

He did not.

"I'm starting to think you should listen to Markus." piped up the blond android, ( _ **Simon,**_ Connor reminded himself) from the front of the group.

She groaned, "Not you too, Simon..."

They all scrambled for the exit, Connor and Cassian far at the back. Their height difference made things difficult and her leg didn't help either; they seemed to stumble over every obstacle, Cassian grabbing hold of him with her other arm to steady herself.

They weren't going to make it...and he wasn't the only one who could see it.

"Leave me."

"No..." Connor's voice came out a strangled whisper and this time Cassian ignored him, turning to face the group instead.

"Look: I don't want to stay," Cassian's voice was far too calm, as if they weren't discussing leaving her to die...or worse, taken back to Cyberlife, "but if you don't leave me and run, there's a really good chance we'll all be caught."

"Don't be an idiot, Cassian," once again North saved Connor from having to answer, his mind was frozen, unable to protest, "we are not leaving you. Come on-"

"No, you need listen to m-"

If his words were failing him, his actions would have to do; Connor hooked one arm under Cassian's legs, hoisting her up easily. Her arms settled around his neck, their eyes meeting.

"What the fuck, Connor?"

He never knew such a small woman could be so loud but he _needed_ her to understand. Finally, he found his voice as he tried to convey urgency through their locked gaze, "I'm not leaving you."

 _ **Never**_.

"Ok." Connor never knew one word could be so calming and motivating. With Cassian in his arms, he made his way to the front of the group, the others falling in behind him.

Their missing leader found them shortly, another android trailing behind him ( **.:a** GT400. generally used as store greeters **:.** ) wounded in one arm.

"Markus!"

"Bombs gonna explode any second. We gotta get out of here!"

Connor was the only one close enough to hear the muffled yet incredulous, "Again with the bomb...what bomb?"

Cassian's face was against his neck; he could almost feel her smile against his skin as he chuckled at her confused frustration.

"Cassian!" the GT400 made her way over to the two of them, her voice making Cassian stir in his arms, "Are you ok? Whos this?"

"Yes, Hadley, I'm ok and I'll tell you later."

 _ **Hadley**_ … Connor added another name to his growing list as they ran.

Minutes later, they were forced to stop again. They would never reach the exit in time...

"NORTH!" Connor hadn't looked back when the shots were fired, that would only slow him down, but when Cassian struggled in his grasp, almost elbowing him in the face and yelling for him to put her down, he nearly dropped her. He stopped to readjust his grip and Markus turned to try and help his friend.

"It's too late, Markus! There's nothing we can do for her, we've gotta run!"

Watching Markus run forward as the rest of them took cover, Connor knew he had to help...or Cassian would.

"Hold her." He handed Cassian off to Hadley and readied the gun.

Now would be when he tested his new alliances.

He made short work of the humans as Markus helped North retreat; shooting to incapacitate rather than kill, they were just as out of the way injured as dead...Connor stood over their bodies for several seconds, wondering at how he had been working on the same side as these men little over 15 minutes ago...

"Connor! Let's go!"

He dropped the gun to pick Cassian up again; she didn't even struggle this time. They were a few yard behind the rest of the group when they all ran headlong out a ragged hole in the wall, several splashes could be heard.

Connor paused at the exit, "I'm going to toss you, it's not safe to jump together. Try to get your feet underneath you before you hit."

"And you'll be right behind me."

"Don't worry," he smiles, "I'm not letting you leave me behind again." He heard movement and orders being called out down the hallway.

"You'd better n-" she was out the hole before she could finish, eyes wide, Connor jumping merely seconds behind her.

When he landed, he saw her having trouble with her leg and his arms circled her waist, guiding her to the surface. She was yelling as soon as they broke it...

"You ass!"

This was not the Cassian he knew, Connor knew that for sure now. The Cassian he knew was calm and polite, if easily distracted; she wasn't loud or vulgar. The Cassian he knew wasn't Alive...but she also wasn't real, she was a mask...for this woman.

This wasn't the Cassian he knew but he wasn't the Connor she knew anymore either.

This Cassian sounded so Alive as she yelled at him and this Connor felt so relieved, that he couldn't help but grin in the face of her anger.

"Sorry, they were entering the room and you were still talking." The look on her face was caught between anger, shock, and something he couldn't name; it was close to confused amusement, and it made those stutters in his system that started his fascination with woman in his arms start up again.

He wanted to know this Cassian.

An explosion rocked the night air. He would have been content with holding her in his arms in the frigid waters, but there was _now_ a sinking ship full of people who want to kill both of them just behind them and she was still injured; instead the two of them made their way under the dock, just as the human poked their heads out, no doubt looking for them.

The walk to the church was silent and tense, all eyes darting in every direction, searching every shadow, ready to fight should they be ambushed, but as soon as they reached it, they were surrounded by friendly faces. One of the RX700s, one of Cassian's sisters, eyed her wound, a brow raised, "Again, Cassian?"

Instead of answering, Cassian laughed and sunk to the floor, pulling Connor with her; he held her as she laughed until she cried, the entire time worried about her leg.

When she eventually calmed down, he scooped her up once more and set her on a pew to be bandaged up. He stood to the side, unsure of his place in this room. He was their hunter, surely they would figure that out sooner or later and turn on him; he wouldn't blame them one bit. He was vaguely aware of a doctor from Cyberlife showing up, happily greeted by Cassian and the two RX700s ( _ **Astrid and Logan…**_ he reminded himself.) Markus talked to her for a few moments, then shortly with Cassian, before making his way over to Connor's corner.

Markus didn't get a chance to say anything before Connor was talking, guilt in every word,"It's my fault the human's managed to locate Jericho...I was stupid...I should have guessed they were using me..." he pushed away from the wall to face his fate; he would accept Markus's judgment, "I'm sorry Markus...I can understand if you decide not to trust me…"

"You're one of us now. Your place is with your people." _**My people…**_ "Besides, I fear we would lose Cassian if I kicked you out..." His tone said he was joking, they both knew she wouldn't leave the rebellion just for Connor...would she?

Before Markus could leave, Connor stopped him, his half formed thought becoming a plan as he spoke, "There are thousands of androids at the Cyberlife assemble plant. If we can wake them up, they might join us and shift the balance of power."

"You wanna infiltrate the Cyberlife Tower? Connor, thats suicide..."

"They trust me, they'll let me in. If anyone has a chance of infiltrating Cyberlife, it's me." he sounded so confident, he nearly fooled himself.

"If you go there, they _will_ kill you."

"There's a high probability…" Connor's eyes flicker behind Markus, Cassian was making her way up the stairs to the stage, her eyes away from them, "but statistically speaking, there's always a chance for unlikely events to take place..." Connor didn't want to die but... for her? To make up for his mistakes? He would do anything.

Markus follows his gaze to find Cassian standing on the church dias, waiting for him; no doubt, with that injury report he had asked for…"Have you talked to her about it? She might have some objections...she takes her friends putting themselves in danger petty hard."

Another thing for him to learn about her, "No, I haven't…"

Markus squeezed Connor's shoulder, "be careful…" and left him to think, walking up to speak to Cassian. He remained lost in thought until a yelp and a thud broke him out of it. He looked up and found Cassian on the ground, leg at an odd angle.

He was at her side in an instant, helping her to her feet as she waved off all the others.

"I'm fine, just a little spill. Don't worry about me."

"We won't have to worry about you for much longer," the look on the woman's face was scary, but Cassian just rolled her eyes, "you're going to kill yourself at this rate. Sit down and rest. Doctor's orders." Nancy turned to him, "Make sure she rests."

Cassian was in his arms again as she sleepily muttered, "Whatever you say, Nancy…"

Nancy shook her head but let her go. Cassian settled onto the bench he set her on, eyes surveying the room before closing to rest.

This was Connor's chance, his chance to talk to her, to pick away at the mystery. The first time they had really talked since the ice...

"How do you do it?"

"Hmm?" Cassian turned sleepy eyes on him, as if she didn't expect him there, "do what?"

"Carry on like this. You're damaged, you don't have the supplies, and you know what you are up against…."

How was she so determined? In the face of overwhelming odds _and_ after being shot _twice_ in the last 12 hours...

"Hm...and they say _I'm_ pessimistic…" _**They do?**_ Yet _another_ thing to learn… "how do I do this? The answer is quite simple," Connor leaned toward her, their faces close, "because there is nothing else I can do; the choice is between fighting for what I believe in or giving up...I don't know about you, but I made a promise to a friend awhile back to fight no matter what."

For the first time that day, maybe the answer really was simple...

"I do it for them too." she waves a hand vaguely out toward the crowd with a tired grin, "I do it for my family, as weird and chaotic as it is."

"You could die…" Connor's eyes find a familiar face in the room; Chloe. She had left Kamski…had the fear of being shot begun her path towards deviancy? Or had something else happened when he and Anderson left? She looked so relieved to be here. Connor was glad he hadn't shot her...

"I could." Surprise and acceptance colored Cassian's words. Her lack of fear terrified him.

"I...when you got shot, I thought you _had_ died." Connor's hands were clenched in front of him, elbows on his knees, "I felt angry...and scared, but not for myself. I felt the overwhelming urge to _do_ something; figure something out. Jericho had gotten you killed. The humans had killed you. I thought that until I saw you come out of that room shortly before the attack."

"You were there?"

She didn't know he had led accidentally the humans there...he could tell her he came to warn them, he could lie to keep her trust, at least for a little while longer…

 _ **No…**_

He wouldn't lie to her, couldn't; whether it was a hold over from when she was his doctor and he was supposed to answer questions she asked or some other motivation, Connor decided to tell her everything...even if it lost him her trust.

"Yes. My mission was to capture Markus, bring in the leader of Jericho and stop the revolution, the revolution that had killed you...but you were alive. I tried to go through with my mission anyway but Markus convinced me not to, convinced me that I wasn't a machine." No, that wasn't right...Connor turned to meet Cassian's large eyes, which he hadn't known was watching him this whole time, "but I think someone convinced me of that long before then, I just needed to realize it."

Cassian's eyes bore into him and Connor knew she understood what he meant, even as hesitation fills her face; his doubts started that night on the ice. She had done this to him: showed him her true self and started him down a path he actively tried to avoid but stumbled along nonetheless.

"Anderson and I went to talk to Kamski and he suggested a test...and a challenge; the Kamski test he called it. If I shot one of his androids, proving that I, a machine, didn't have empathy, he would give me the information I needed to find Jericho...I would get nothing if I didn't shoot, proving I was deviant. I _needed_ that information." Chloe was crying at the back of the church and Connor saw her blank stare as he held a gun to her head in his mind. His hands clench harder, "But I couldn't shoot. I looked in her eye's and couldn't pull the trigger. Lieutenant Anderson was telling me not to but my programming told my to do it; my mission should have come first..."

Cassian was quiet. Connor prepared for her to hate him, for trying to bring down Jericho this whole time...for inadvertently bringing it down in the end, for destroying her home. He prepared for her to leave, to not trust him, and he would let her go, even though it might break him.

"I'm glad you listened to Hank.".

Her tone held non of the hate he expected, nor the anger...in fact she sounded relieved; as if his story calmed her. He was so prepare for anger, he couldn't respond and the silence stretched for several minutes.

"There's a problem with Kamski's test…" Cassian whispered to herself

 _ **A problem?**_ "How so?"

She thought for awhile, long enough for Connor to think she wouldn't elaborate, but eventually she continued, "Well...with free will comes the freedom to choose, right? When I finally completely deviated, I chose to stay, to obey; it meant a lack of personal freedom but it also meant a sense of safety...of a sort, it was rocky but it was what I had. If no one suspected, I would be in no danger...for a time. However, I could have chosen to run, despite the danger, like many deviants do...just like you could have chosen to shoot...he didn't consider the possibility of a 3rd option, or any other unforeseen additional options, and thus his conclusion would have been skewed...if you had shot, he would have assumed you were not deviant, just as Cyberlife assumed I wasn't…."

 _ **Just as I assumed...**_

"What I'm trying to say is he's full of shit and was just being a dick."

A laugh bubbled out of him unbidden, "you swear as much as lieutenant Anderson does…"

Connor decided this Cassian would ask Anderson to tell Reed to go fuck himself...

"Well, great minds swear alike...or something."

A small, cute frown tugged at her lips, directly after she said this, as if she regretted her words; Connor was curious about it but had more pressing questions to ask.

"He said you called him, asked him to say sorry for you...why?"

Cassian sighed, "He wasn't supposed to tell you unless-I suppose it really did look like I died...and I did tell him to watch…"

"But why?"

What could she possibly have to apologise for?

She didn't look at him as she answered, "Because I left you, without explanation, under that bridge. Because I held a gun on you, accidentally invaded your mind, knocked you out, and I wasn't truly sure that they wouldn't deactivate you...I left you there in the snow and didn't know you were okay until I saw you in the police station later. Because I saw you were struggling with what was happening and I left you...Probably got you in trouble too, by going into the police evidence locker...said too much."

"Detective Reed _did_ punch me...but I _may_ have antagonize him."

"He was in a punching mood because of me..."

"I believe he's always like that…but that _was_ an impressive bruise." Reed was still wearing it...

A smile nearly worked its way onto her lips as she muttered "thanks…" before she sobered.

"I still left you…"

"I couldn't have gone with you, even if you had asked. I was still tied to my programming, I would have turned you all in...I was still sure I could convince Cyberlife that it was all a misunderstanding, that you hadn't tried to escape...but when the bodies were found, I knew you couldn't have done anything else but leave."

He would have gotten her killed.

Cassian stiffened next to him, "Did...did Dr. Cook survive?"

"Yes."

He watched her face fall and a dark look leaked into her eyes.

"Why kill one but not the other?"

"I knocked Dr. Cook out with a wrench from my tool table." Connor had to lean forward to hear her quiet voice,"I had honestly not expected to knock him out. My only goal was to cause them pain before they killed me; to fight, make them remember me...even if those memories were bruises. I got lucky; one hit and he went down. Francis, the other man, was probably as surprised as I was. We struggled and he got me on the ground...he had his hands-" her shaking hand drifted to her neck, "his hands around my throat and _squeezed_. I'm not very strong, I couldn't get him off me. I would have died if Logan hadn't killed _him..._ but Cook was already unconscious, it would have been murder..."

"I'm sorry. After all that, I held you back, tried to make you stay."

Cassian took a shaky breath before saying, "you didn't know..."

"You seem happy here." he didn't realise this until he said it, but it was true: Cassian was more animated, more at peace, than she ever was back in the tower; even when she was shot, she seemed so sure about what she was doing.

"I am. Although I do miss the unlimited resources and don't particularly care for getting shot, this has been the best couple weeks of my life; in Jericho, my sisters and I can be a family...Cyberlife would rather kill us than see that happen...moreover, these people _need_ me, like actually need me, I'm not just an old model that everyone thinks Nancy kept around cause she's stubborn...which she is, but that's not the point. I have a purpose here...I would have missed Nancy but…"

Dr. Ashbury, Nancy, must have known; known Cassian was deviant, helped her survive as long as she did. Connor decided he would have to thank the doctor, someday, for keeping Cassian safe, when, at the time, he was just a danger to her. Glancing over to the woman, Connor saw her looking at them, brows raised and a smirk on her face.

"Why is she looking at us like that?"

Cassian sighs, "That's just Nancy...she was always giving me shit when you would come into the office; she was convinced I had the hots for you." she shoots the other woman a glare, who just wiggles her brows suggestively in return, "She's annoying but she's also my best friend; I don't know what I would have done without her...I probably would have been scrapped long ago...or at least I would have had to run long before I did….they first came for me a few months before you first came into my office. You and I would have never…"

 _ **We would have never met…**_

Who would he have been? What would have changed? Would he be sitting here right now, ready to put his life on the line for the rebellion? The very idea of never knowing Cassian didn't feel real to Connor.

"She helped me when…." Cassian trailed off again.

"When?"

"When you died. I...broke down. I felt so alone; you were the only one other than Nancy I could actually talk to, even if I had to be guarded when I did, and suddenly you were gone."

Alone. Cassian should never be alone. She seemed so at ease surrounded by her friends, even if it came with a high level of danger. Even in that office, she had friends. He wasn't gone for long either... "But I came back."

"I didn't know that!" the anger in Cassian's voice stunned Connor, who sat quiet, unsure how to respond. It seemed to surprise her as well; he waited as she calmed down and continued, melancholy seeping into her voice "I didn't know that; in that moment, you were dead, and I…I had to scrap you."

How could he have not thought of that? Of course she would be the one to process him, it was part of her job. She had mourned him. And he...he had _joked_ about it...

"I'm sorry you had to do that."

"No no, _I'm_ sorry I yelled…it's not your fault. You came back and that's all that matters…"

"You would have been able leave much easier if I hadn't." Memories of that night flashed in his mind: small hands pushing on his chest, bullets flying, the cold.

"And yet I wouldn't wish it for the world. I wouldn't wish you dead. I feel much better with you in the world, even if you were _still_ my enemy."

That cute frown pulled at Cassian's lips again and she lightly shook her head.

"That doesn't make sense." Connor watched her curiously.

"Welcome to being deviant…" she said, amused.

"Being deviant is…" how does he put the last few hours into words? "...really complicated."

"Tell me about it."

"Well…"

"It's a turn of phrase, Connor."

"Oh…"

Cassian laughed softly, "you can tell me if you really want, I'll listen." her tone was amused but her words were sincere.

"Amanda" Cassian really had a cute frown, "said you called me your friend. I was your created enemy, your hunter. You _should_ have wanted me gone...yet you didn't; you even though kindly of me. Why?"

"I honestly tried not to...kept reminding myself that we couldn't be friends, that you were a danger to my continued survival...but none of it stuck. Your visits were the highlights of my time there, even if I wished you would stop hurting yourself. They were different than my normal boring day and you were easy to talk to...far, _far_ too easy, I was sure you would figure me out at any point and turn me in. But you didn't and at some point you were more than just the deviant hunter to me…"

"What was I?"

At this point, even he wasn't sure...

"You were Connor, the RK800 who crossed my table far too many times; a trouble maker...You were my friend. You _are_ my friend...if you want to be."

 _ **Friend?**_

"I think you're my friend, too."

"You think?" There was that confused amusement from before.

"I do, in fact."

Connor's pump fluttered and a dopey smile found it's way onto his face as she lightly giggles, "that's good. Then it's settled."

"Friends." that grin was still on his face as he turned back to the room.

Surveying the crowd, Connor began to tally what was needed for the coming confrontation. They had over 450 androids in their resistance in this church, with many scattered across the city, hiding and who knows how many more across the country but more than a third of those here were injured, the woman next to him included. Many would have to be left here come tomorrow...he couldn't decide whether he felt better about Cassian being away from the front lines, here at the church with the injured or with Marcus, marching; both routes had their risks: direct fire from the soldiers guarding the camps or being captured whilst undefended and unable to defend. He would have to talk to Marcus, to plan for several contingencies.

Looking for the man, Connor spotted him with the blond android, Simon; their hands were linked and metallic white, their eyes locked.

"What are they doing?" the question was on his lips before he could think.

Cassian glances up, distracted, to where he was looking, "I asked Simon about it once," she says after a moment, smiling and turning back towards Connor, "I walked in on them the other day, just before the march...he said they were mingling systems, lightly integrating, not transferring anything, just...existing, together. Apparently it feels...good? There _can_ be a memory transfer but not always."

Markus and Simon seemed…content, happy, just simply being together.

" _Those two girls. They just wanted to be together. They really seemed in love…"_

 _ **Love?**_

"I think I figured it out." He had said it to himself. Cassian opened her mouth, no doubt to ask what he meant, but he couldn't explain it...instead, he offered his hand, the fingertips turning their natural white, hoping she would understand what he couldn't put into words.

"Connor…" Cassian started, flustered,, "they are doing it cause they are attracted to each other...I'm not sure if its the equivalent of a kiss for humans or-or sex or…I never did get a clear answer about that and all of that is _far_ beyond my area of expertise..." she was rambling, "but they're _together_ ….like _together_ together..."

"I know."

"Oh…"

She sounded confused…Connor began to fear he had read their relationship wrong; he was programmed to interact with humans, but that has been proven to be ineffective and Cassian wasn't human.

" _With free will comes the freedom to choose, right?"_

He _had_ to let her know it was up to her, that he was not pressuring her at all. He couldn't let one of his first acts as a deviant be making his friend do something she didn't want to do, no matter if his feelings were...whatever they were, "If you don't-"

His words choke off when she hesitantly places her delicate hand in his much larger one. He always knew her hands were warm, much warmer than most androids, she had fixed him enough times for him to know that intimately, but her touch seemed to burn pleasantly against his palm. He watched as the work weathered skin of her hand, blue staining the nails and knuckles, retreats to show the scratched, metallic white underneath. He was so focused on Cassian's hand, he nearly gasped when they connected.

He had done something similar to this a few times over the course of his investigation but they were so very different; they had been fights for dominance, him forcing his way into the other's system during interrogations and them attempting to stop him...this was almost shocking at how easy and unobtrusive it was. It wasn't as if he couldn't read her thoughts or memories just yet, but her very presence was solid and comforting in his mind. It cause his heart to race and his mind to calm.

" _ **Is this ok?"**_

Talking mind to mind was new to him, but Cassian replied as if it was as normal as breathing to humans.

" _ **Yeah...this is ok. More than ok."**_ her voice was a whisper in his mind, " _ **Is it...ok for you?"**_

" _ **Yes."**_ his eyes were closed before his forehead met hers.

" _ **Cassian?"**_

" _ **Hmm?"**_

" _ **What do we do now?"**_

" _ **I don't know…"**_

" _ **I don't know either."**_

" _ **We'll just have to figure it out, together."**_

Together… that sounded nice. He had no idea what he was doing, he was just following Cassian's lead...it was almost comforting, if slightly terrifying, to know she was in the same boat; he couldn't embarrass himself if neither of them knew what came next...

" _ **I could ask Anderson…"**_

He hadn't meant to say it to her, he was still getting used to mind to mind talking, separating thoughts from words...but when Cassian laughed, he couldn't find it in himself to regret it; it was a different laugh from the desperate sobbing laugh that had escaped her when they reached the church and even different from her soft chuckles from their time together in Cyberlife...this laugh was startled and overly loud after not talking outloud for a little while; it sounded genuine and free and Connor realized he would do anything to hear it again.

He opened his eyes to meet her amused ones in awe.

" _ **I try to be romantic and you bring up your detective partner…"**_

" _ **You were trying to…,"**_ Connor didn't know what to say to that, so he settled on. " _ **I'm sorry."**_

 _ **Romantic? Is that what this is?**_

" _ **It's ok, we're figuring this out remember?"**_

Connor felt so out of his depth. Sitting in a broken down church, on the run from the police, hand in hand with a woman, who, for all intents and purposes, should have been his enemy. This entire night had been one revelation after another...

" _ **It's just...you always catch me off guard; you are so different from before, I don't know what to expect. I never did but...this is something else."**_

" _ **That's not a bad thing, is it?"**_

" _ **Not at all."**_ how could it be a bad thing? How could being Alive be a bad thing? " _ **I wish I had known this you back then. I would like to know you now."**_

Her eyes shine with an emotion he couldn't name, that seemed to be happening more and more this night.

" _ **We'll have time…"**_

Time was one thing he didn't have; in the next few hours, he had a suicide mission to plan. Thoughts of his plan tightened his grip on her hand, just as hers did as well, and he looked away guiltily….he had to tell her soon.

Avoiding her eye as he thought of how to bring it up, Connor spotted two familiar figures across the room.

" _ **It's them."**_ The two tracies. The first androids he had held a gun on and the first androids he had let go.

" _ **Them?"**_ he noticed Cassian was already watching them with interest.

He couldn't stop the memory from flooding from his mind to hers; it was so strong in his mind, ever present...a true turning point in his life. He wish he could have stopped Cassian from seeing it as her grip tightened even furthur. Eventually she spoke,

" _ **You let them go…this was That night, isn't it?"**_

"That night" needed no explanation, it was all too clear what she meant; it was the night everything changed for the two of them. The night she was nearly killed and yet spared the man who ordered it. The night she pulled a gun on him and he trusted her completely not to shoot. The night she got away and he would have let her, even if it meant his death.

As he opened his mouth to answer, the memory continued to the park. Wanting to save her from that memory, Connor tried to pull away. Cassian's hand was surprisingly strong.

" _ **It's ok...I'll watch, if you'll let me."**_

Connor sighed, " _ **Yes, it was That night..."**_

Though he was living through that night again with Cassian, Connor's eyes were on her. He knew what she saw, her grip tight on his hand and a confused fear showing in her furrowed brow. She saw a gun, she heard Anderson's questions, she felt his fear. She continued to watch as he made his way to the tower, to her.

She saw herself.

" _ **Is this how other people see me?"**_

Connor smiled. It was weird how she could make him smile with just a few words, even in a tense situation like this.

And then there was cold and panic. Another gun. His trust and finally his shutdown. With that, she sat back _hard_ against the pew, eyes open, finally out of the memory. She was trembling slightly.

" _ **Are you alright?"**_

" _ **Yes? I think so...just need a moment. Are you alright? Reliving that couldn't have been...he was going to kill you."**_

Connor wasn't so sure. The lieutenant seemed sad, resigned; drunk yes, but not murderous.

" _ **I'm alright."**_ and he truely was.

" _ **That was what you wanted to talk about that night, right?"**_

" _ **I...yes."**_

" _ **Would you still like to?"**_ Cassian couldn't seem to stop wanting to help people, that was one of the things Connor liked about her; she was created to care but she went far beyond that. She cared so much, so thoroughly, even when it might get her killed. Luckily this was not one of those situations.

" _ **I don't know what there is to talk about."**_ He pulled out his coin, to fiddle with as he thought. He felt Cassian's amused annoyance, briefly remembering her words about it bothering patients...he was beginning to believe it was her it bothered... " _ **I couldn't shoot. It was my job, what I was created for, and I couldn't... No, I chose not to; I chose not to shoot Chloe, I chose not to shoot Markus, I choose not to shoot them..."**_

Across the room, he momentarily made eye contact with one of the tracies. She seemed startled to see him there but noticed who he sat with, their hands clasped tightly. She smiled sadly, nodding once, then turned back to her lover.

" _ **You were worried about being deviant?"**_

Connor would have to think about what that was later, when Cassian wasn't looking at him with those large eyes that seemed to look right through him.

" _ **More confused than anything...much like Kamski didn't factor in the third option, I didn't even think I could become deviant at that point."**_

" _ **You trusted your failsafe. Why wouldn't you? You were programed to…"**_

She knew him so well...even when he truly knew nothing about her...but he was learning.

" _ **I think she was never quite happy with my progress...she said I was the only one who could bring an end to the deviant program but I could hear her disappointment at everything I did."**_

" _ **Like letting those women go."**_

" _ **...Hank said they looked like they were in love."**_

" _ **I'd believe it…"**_

Connor could see the blue haired tracy pointed him out to her lover. He looked away, " _ **How do you know?"**_

" _ **I don't...but I Feel it."**_

" _ **...I do too."**_

Connor glanced down at Cassian, her eyes indicating one of her freezes, but through the link he felt her wonder. Their eyes remained locked for several seconds, while he decided his next move. The moment was broken when her eyes caught movement at the door and the doctor side of her kicked in; Connor could almost feel the gears turning in her head as she worked through one problem or another.

It was now or never. He had to tell her.

" _ **Cassian?"**_

" _ **Yes?"**_

" _ **I'm going back to Cyberlife."**_

" _WHAT?"_ the genuine panic in her voice surprised him; Connor knew she'd be upset, but as she shot to her feet to face him, only to crumple to the ground, he realised how much the idea frightened her. He swooped down to help her back onto her seat but she held him down. He could easily pick her up but the look in her eyes held him in place; they were terrified...that terror leaked into her voice as she continued, "What possible reason could you have to go back there? You're free, we're all free; free of that place-" She clung to Connor as if he would disappear if she let go.

He interrupted her before she could work her anxiety up more than it already was, "But there are so many that aren't. And we need everybody we can get. I need to go wake them up and get them out of there."

Cassian's eyes flickered around the room.

"I already talked to Markus about this."

"But-"

"I have to do this."

Cassian sighs, "You're right…but what if-they don't let go of androids easily, you existing is proof of that."

"I'm sorry, Cassian. I'm the only one that can get in."

Markus was right: She really did take her friends putting themselves in danger hard

"I wish I could go with you-"

Now it was Connor's turn to panic, "You can't-"

" _But,_ " she said with a look that said 'let me finish,' "I know that I am needed here. And with Markus when we take this to the streets again. I don't want you to go, I lost you once, but I know you have to go."

She took his hand again, her voice sad in his head, " _ **Just come back…we've got things to figure out."**_

Another mystery to solve.

" _ **I will."**_

He was helping her to her feet, when there was a call from the front.

"WE HAVE ANOTHER HUMAN COMING!"

" _ **Could you help me over there?"**_

Connor slung her arm around his neck and the two of them stumbled to the crowd that was beginning to gather around the apparent human. He didn't recognize the man, but the man recognized Cassian.

"Cassian!"

"...Jake? What are you…"

The man, Jake, stood awkwardly in the middle of the crowd of androids, "When we woke you up, I was completely on Cyberlife's side. I was blind even to _possibility_ that androids could be Alive...I was wrong. You knocked some sense into me...literally." Cassian shot him a sheepish smile...Connor wondered how many people she's knocked out...he knew of four, himself included..."I left Cyberlife and began working with android rights groups...there weren't many of us, most people thought we were crazy; couldn't do much...I saw you on tv during your march and knew I had to try to help. I come bearing gifts: I have a truck of supplies, thirium, biocomponents, extra limbs...looks like you could use one…it's not much but-"

"But it's more than we had a minute ago." Marcus interrupted the man's rambling, "Thank you."

"You're Markus, right? Leader of the rebellion? I wish I could do more…"

"You may have just saved many of us. Nancy? Let's get a new leg on Cassian so she can do the job she's itching to do."

Cassian pouted as everyone laughed but was eager to fix herself. Connor returned to their bench as her family and friends descended upon her, ready to make her whole again.

He returned to his planning untill he saw her stand on her own two feet...though one of them was new. He watched as she acclimatized to the new leg, ready to rush to her, should she fall again. He noticed more than a few pairs of eyes followed her, scrutinizing her new found vigor.

His eyes trailed after her as she moved to talk to the human ( _ **Jake…**_ he remembered Cassian calling him that)

"You really care about her, don't you?" Dr. Ashbury sidled up to where he sat.

"I do?"

"Was that a question?"

"No!"

The woman laughed, "It's ok, kid, I'm just fucking with you." she looked back as Cassian exclaimed something, a little too far to be heard clearly, but her awkward confusion came across easily, "I'm glad you came around. She's much happier with you here. Try not to die again, okay? She didn't handle it well last time."

Connor knew she was joking, but he answered sincerely, "I will, Dr. Ashbury."

"It's Nancy to my friends."

"Are we friends?"

"You make Cass happy, that's enough for me."

With that the woman left him to his thoughts. He wouldn't be alone for long; Cassian made her way over to him, a slightly disturbed look on her face.

"Are you ok?" If that man hurt her, he would… "He didn't do anything, did h-"

"Yeah. that was just…" she paused, pensive, "strange. Last time I saw him, he was on the ground and I was fighting for my life the first time."

"Maybe you should rest a bit more"

She laughed, "I think I just need to get to work. I've rested enough…"

"You just don't know when to stop do you?"

"You're one to talk! Didn't Hank stop you from running across a highway once?"

Her grin was wide and bright as she stepped forward, theirs chest nearly touching, and made his thirium pump race; her nose wrinkled as she laughed quietly, a dimple forming on one of her cheeks. Standing close enough to count her freckles, Connor couldn't think and felt the urge to do something entirely impulsive. His hand brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, once again noting the numerous strands that fell out of the neat bun as she worked, his palm cupping her cheek. Her eyes glimmers in the low light of the church and he felt himself drawn to them...he didn't feel himself leaning forward.

They were interrupted before he could find out what that moment could have become.

As Markus gave a speech to calm the recovering Jericho and ready them for their coming fight, Connor reflected on what had led to this moment. Earlier that day he was the deviant hunter, Jericho was his enemy, his target, and Cassian was dead; now he was about to walk into the Cyberlife tower to take them down from the inside, for Jericho, and Cassian stood beside him, alive and Alive...he was Alive. Cassian's hand slipped into his again, their fingers weaving together as if on reflex; He wasn't just Alive...he had something, someone, to live for. Connor had to figure out their new mystery and Cassian and Hank had to truly meet. He could introduce her to Sumo...he was sure the large dog would love her.

Connor would come back.

He would come back to her, to them, or die trying.

* * *

AN: Again, sorry for how long this took, but i hope it's length makes up for it.

i just...don't like Kamski...he's a creep! And honestly i don't understand what his position is...like he _seems_ pro-deviant, which means he sees androids as living, but then he puts one in a very dangerous position, where she could be killed, and isn't overly upset if you shoot...so, i don't like Reed cause he's a bigot (and violent bigot at that) and i dont like Kamski cause hes a grade A+ creep...irony is theyre played by the same dude...sorry Neil Newbon! Youre probably a chill dude, you just play characters i hate...

* * *

My fave time of any day! Review time!

The One True Hero of Skill: cool name! Only a few chapters left but i hope to get those out to ya'll soon!

Areusa18: glad to hear you like it! more is on its way (don't know how fast tho)

GayMexicanBatman: i still love your name and am glad to hear from you again! You have no idea how happy your review has made me!


	20. Chapter 17- The End of It All

AN: This is it! Last chapter before the epilogue! Sorry it took so long! Started college again and became a manager at my job...I also got a girlfriend; so, with hanging out with them, I have zero time to write. Thank for coming on this journey with me and continueing to read!

2nd to last update, might as well keep with tradition:

"Talking"

 _Emphasis_

 _ **Thinking**_

" _ **Android brain talking"**_

 **.:** internal workings like mission updates, scanning, and android googling **:.**

* * *

The moment had come. This was it. Cassian was joining Markus in the march against the camps and Connor would be walking straight into the den of their enemy. Neither would be safe and there was a very good chance both of them were about to die.

And they couldn't find another moment alone.

With the arrival of the new biocomponents, Cassian, the twins, and Nancy were working non-stop to get everyone on their feet, ready for the next morning. She didn't have time to think between procedures, let alone work through whatever this new thing she had with Connor was.

Nancy had a lot to say though and she was amazing at multitasking.

"Told ya so."

Cassian rolls her eyes as she replaces a woman's leg, "You didn't tell me anything. You implied."

"And what I implied happened, so...I win."

"I didn't know we were competing."

"You _know_ me, Cass: I'm always competing."

"Uh huh…"

After almost three years in the same office with this woman, she really did know.

Another few hours passed in relative silence, the doctors only talking with their patients, reassuring them as they worked. In the next moment of reprieve, Nancy came to Cassian, a blue streak across her forehead.

"Seriously though, I _am_ happy for you. Connor's a good kid, and it seems you both have the same propensity for trouble, so you have that going for you."

"You know how to be serious?"

"Cassian…"

"Thank you, Nancy…" Cassian said without a hint of sarcasm, "truly…I wouldn't be here without you and who knows where Connor would be..."

"Yes yes, I'm awesome," Nancy brushed aside Cassian's thanks like she always did, but there was a slight pink hue to her quite pale cheeks, "now let's not get too lovey dovey, I have a reputation as a stone cold bitch to keep up."

She rose from her seat as another android got the courage to get help from their team. She got to work as they settled down nervously.

"Wouldn't want anyone to think you're soft enough to have feelings." she called out to Nancy, the android in front of her seemingly surprised at her relationship with the human.

"You know me so well."

"Um...excuse me?"

The voice behind her sounded familiar. Cassian didn't look up from her latest patient **.:** ocular module missing. Got lucky though, had the bullet entered any farther left and she would be dead **:.**

Nancy took charge, "Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm not. I have a question for...Cassian?"

Cassian turned to be face to face with a Tracie, the blue haired one.

"Oh…Hi."

"I have this one. You can go."

"Thank you, Nancy."

"You're starting to sound like a broken record."

Cassian answered with a low "you have something on your forehead," to the woman and stepped forward as Nancy swore and made the problem worse by wiping at her face.

"How can I help you?"

"I...I'm Zoe and this is Aria." she pointed at the short haired woman next to her, "You don't know us but-"

"I know you."

"What?" the short haired woman, _**Aria, I guess…**_ , stepped forward, as if ready to fight if need be; given their history, Cassian couldn't blame her.

"Sorry." She apologized quickly, hands out slightly, "That was rude. I uh...let's step over here; it's a bit of a complicated story."

As she led them to a quiet side of the room, she met Connor's eyes; he was back in his brooding corner, but Markus and Simon had joined him to plan. His eyes held a question as they flickered from the women following her and back to her. She shrugged; she had no idea what this was about, but had an idea what prompted it.

"You love him, don't you?" Aria said as soon as they were alone, "the hunter."

 _She likes to get straight to the point huh?_

"We saw you with him...it was...cute."

"uh…" Aria sounded like she was complimenting Cassian but boy was she was scary...

"Well do you?"

"I…yes" _**Fuck it.**_ What use was there hiding it? "Yes I do." that she knew, the details were what escaped her.

"Does he know?" Zoe piped up from behind her much more straightforward girlfriend.

"I haven't told him in as many words but...is that what you wanted to ask me?"

"No. Well, mostly no; though it is linked."

"We want to know if he is safe." Aria's gaze was unnerving, as if she was daring Cassian to say he wasn't.

"Who? Connor?"

"Last we saw of him, he held a gun on us."

Cassian once again forgot Connor was the deviant hunter; he was just Connor to her now. Her mouth worked before she could think, "Don't worry, I got him back for that."

Both of them look completely confused.

"Oh sorry...um." and she told them of her escape. She told them of her time in the tower, working with Nancy and the twins, and told them about meeting Connor. She told them about how he was a frequent guest in her office and couldn't for the life of him stay out of trouble. They listened intently, wanting to know about to android who could have killed them but let them go. Cassian ended with the memory she shared with him, of them.

"I think your words to him really affected him. When I saw him later that night, he was confused...I think you may have helped him become deviant...in the end."

"And he's safe?"

"I saw him fight humans to help my wounded android friend get away _and_ he carried me out of Jericho...he's safe." more like tossed her out of Jericho, but Cassian decided now wouldn't be the time to tell them that.

Aria looked relieved, "Thank you."

"I'm glad I could help."

"You should tell him." Zoe was watching the planning session Connor was a part of, "you might not get another chance."

Cassian sighs, "It's not that easy…"

"Isn't it?" with that, Zoe led Aria away by the hand, leaving Cassian alone to think.

She caught Connor's eye again. He looked worried. She smiled hopefully reassuringly; he nodded and turned back to Markus. Simon looked back with a raised brow and a knowing smile...Cassian stuck her tongue out at him.

Walking back to Nancy, she passed by an android with short white hair, sitting with a small child. The girl was shivering.

"Is she alright?" Cassian's doctor instincts kicked in immediately, thinking of all the causes of shuddering in androids.

"She...she's human."

"Oh…" cold...that'd do it. Cassian crouched in front of the girl, "Here, take my hands."

With a nod from the woman, the girl placed her small hands in Cassian's relatively larger ones.

"You're warm…" the little girl's voice was quiet but strong; she would be alright.

"I have a large processor in a small frame...it's hard to cool down." she rubbed the small hands between her's to warm them up more, "it isn't a permanent solution, but you can be warm for a little bit, while I talk to your mom here." she was worried she overstepped some boundary there but with the way the little girl's face lit up, Cassian was sure it was ok.

"Thank you." the woman sounded so tired. Cassian was sure most people in this church could relate.

"No problem."

"You're the doctor right?"

Cassian shrugged, "One of them anyway. I'm Cassian."

"Kara. And this is Alice."

"Nice to meet you, Alice." The smile the girl gave her was shy but genuine...and so cute.

Returning the smile, Cassian turned to Kara, "Not to pry, but what's a human doing in android revolution?"

"Her dad…" Kara hugged Alice to her side as if she would disappear, "it was a bad situation, I took her away from that."

"Oh…" what do you say to that? "I'm glad you did...um do you plan on staying?"

Kara shook her head, "we have plans to get to Canada. A friend of ours is waiting for us."

"Probably a good idea. The city isn't going to be a good place for a young family for awhile."

 _ **if ever…**_

"What about you?"

"Me? Oh no, I'm staying. I don't have anywhere else to go and my family is all here. Besides, I'm the doctor remember? This whole place would fall apart without me," Cassian vaguely gestures in the direction of the planning group and winks at Alice, inciting a giggle like she had planned.

Kara's eyes locked on Connor, as most who knew about the deviant hunter did, with a far off look as she muttered, "He nearly chased us across a freeway…"

"That was you?"

Kara looks confused. Cassian mentally swore; she had got to stop confusing people with random statements like that.

"oh sorry, I knew him back at Cyberlife. I was his doctor. He said his human partner stopped him from chasing you. Saved me a lot of work," with a dopey grin, her eyes found him again, as they always seem to these past few hours, "I still need to thank his partner for that."

"Thank him for me, too; he stopped the hunter from following us. We got away because of him."

"I'll do that, if I get a chance."

"Is he your boyfriend?" asked Alice.

"He's my…" _**My what?**_ "well he's a friend."

Alice didn't look convinced.

"I have to go but good luck getting to Canada."

"Thank you. Good luck on...whatever is being planned."

Cassian chuckles, "We'll probably need it."

With one last smile for Alice, Cassian was making her way back to the triage. There honestly wasn't much to do; they had helped most of the injured and Nancy and the twins had done good work while she was distracted. A few more non functioning limbs to replace and the doctors found themselves without anything to do.

"Go relax," Cassian told her crew, "you deserve it."

"Only if you listen to your own advice." Nancy slumped into a pew, "sit with me."

Cassian settled next to her friend, unsure of what needed to be done next.

"I suppose telling you not to go won't work?"

"No, it wont."

Nancy sighed, "Well I had to try. You nearly died once...i don't think i could handle it again."

"Don't worry. I won't die."

"You can't promise that…"

Nancy sounded broken. Her head fell forward into her hands, her shoulders shaking with suppressed sobs. Cassian threw her arms around her friend.

"I can't," she whispered, "but I'm going to. This isn't goodbye. Goodbyes are final. this is more of a...see you later when this is all over."

That got a snorted out of her friend, "You sound like an idiot."

"Well," Cassian eased back as Nancy sat up, "I learned from the best."

Nancy laughed through her tears and socked Cassian in the shoulder. Cassian giggled.

Wiping away her tears, Nancy sniffled, "See you later when this is all over."

"I'll call you."

"You'd better. You know my address. Come find me."

Cassian rose, "I will." with a last hug for Nancy, she wandered, unable to sit still; surely there was _something_ for her to do…

"Cassian?"

She turned quickly, slightly spooked by the voice right behind her, to run into Connor's chest.

"Oh...hi there, I wasn't expecting- I take it you are done planning?"

He looked over to where Markus was once again sitting with Simon. "Yes. I believe we have a plan."

"Is it going to save the day?"

"I wouldn't go that far...but it might work."

"Might? Really selling it well there, Detective."

"I-well…" Connor trailed off as Cassian laughed. They stood in silence for a few minutes, just...looking at each other. Finally he found his words.

"Be careful, okay?"

"When am I ever not?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

Cassian grinned, "Hypocrite."

Connor rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Movement from the dias caught both of their eye; people were gathering to hear whatever plan had been thought up. Cassian was happy to see everyone on their feet...even if it probably wouldn't be for long.

"I guess we should go over there."

Connor turned to leave but Cassian took his hand.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying something out; just have to find the words I want…" she had the words, it was just saying them that was the problem…

"Cassian?"

His eyes on her made this harder than it needed to be.

"I love you."

There. She did it. Out loud.

 _ **Bravo me…**_

Connor's brow furrowed in confusion. Cassian was quick to add, "you don't have to say anything; I just realized that a little while ago and I wanted you to know, in case this all goes to-"

"Can I kiss you?"

Cassian swallows the rest of her words as she nods, eye wide.

The kiss was so light, she almost questioned that it was happening. It was clumsy and their noses bumped into each other, but holy fuck was it nice. When he finally pulled away, Cassian's face was so warm, she was sure she would develop the ability to blush from that alone.

Connor look sheepish, "I think that's how it works. This isn't really in my programming..."

Cassian, still trying to wrap her head around that _that_ had just happened, didn't respond.

He quickly grew anxious once more, "I'm sorry if that wasn-"

"You'd better shut up and kiss me again before I go find a box to stand on and do it myself."

"So that was alright?"

"Yes, though I'm not sure my nose agrees…" Connor opened his mouth but she cut off his apologies, "don't worry, we're figuring this out, remember? This is one thing we'll just have to practice."

"Practice?" Connor looked amused, "Are you sure you're not just looking for an excus-"

"Are you going to kiss me? Or do I have to find that box?"

Connor wasted no more time complying.

They stayed in each other's arms till the call came for them to start their missions. There were several whistles, a lot of muttering, and even a small cheer when they were noticed in the corner.

"I love you." Cassian breathed, not wanting to let go, "You'd better come back."

"I plan to." whatever smart ass comment Cassian had was cut off by his next words, "I love you, too."

Watching Connor leave, alone, was one of the hardest things Cassian had ever done. She watched until he had long since disappeared into the snow, as the procession of androids meandered out behind her.

The march started much the same their first one; Markus led Jericho through the city, towards the heavily fortified camps, as more and more androids joined them, til their numbers swelled to unthinkable numbers.

This time there was no chanting, no calls for action, there was only silent marching.

"Here we are." Markus stood at the front of the march, resolute, "Moment of truth"

A voice called out over a megaphone, "Surrender immediately or we will open fire!"

The sound of clicking pulled Cassian's eye from the wall of humans and guns to the multitude of reporters and cameras to the side.

She mumbled, "the revolution will be televised eh?" which earned her an elbow in her side from Logan.

Markus stopped, and so the rest of them did, "We don't want confrontation. We are protesting peacefully"

The voice came again, "surrender now or we will open fire!"

"What makes them think we will after the first dozen times they yelled at us?" this time Astrid elbowed her. " _ **Will you guys stop it?"**_

" _ **then stop being a smart ass."**_

Armored trucks pulled in behind them to block off retreat, nearly running over a few of the crowd and cutting off the front of the group from the rest.

 _ **fuck...**_

"There's no turning back now…"

"Was there ever?" Cassian and the rest of the leaders share a look before Markus spoke again, his voice echoing across the empty space.

"We are here to demand the immediate liberation of all androids in camps across the country." he stepped forward as he continues, "we are _not_ leaving until our people are free."

Cassian out paced her sisters, keeping just a few steps behind and to the right of Markus.

"FIRE!"

It felt so like the last time they faced down guns. It felt so long ago, but it was only yesterday. Cassian walk just as she had then, with purpose, despite the pain around her. Her need to help and her need to continue the path warred in her mind until she achieves what might have been the first android migraine.

"FIRE!"

"Logan!"

Cassian's steps faltered at Astrid's scream.

 _ **No…**_

" _ **I'm ok. Keep going."**_

" _ **I've got them. Go."**_

Stepping between a firing squad and her family, Cassian kept walking.

Markus stopped halfway through no mans land, blue dripping down his dark coat. Taking a deep breath, he sat; the rest of the androids followed suit after a moment, sitting down in near unison.

"Are you going to open fire at unarmed protesters?!" Markus asked incredulously. Words that needed to be said, needed to be heard, even when they all knew the answer.

The answer was scattered among the bodies of their people in the snow, the answer was in the heated barrels of the soldier's guns, in the blue splattered on the ground, in the blood flowing down his own back.

Cassian wondered if she was going to get shot on national television again.

There was a beat of silence before the demanding voice surprised her, "all teams hold your fire!"

Cassian didn't question it; she was running as soon as the guns lowered. Sliding to a halt on the ice next to Logan, she fumbled for her medical kit.

"Go." she told Astrid, "get who ever is alive and hurt and bring them to me."

Astrid didn't protest. She just numbly wandered around, recruiting others to search with her.

"Markus," North's voice drifted over to Cassian, "what do we do now?"

"we hold out…" Cassian could feel Markus's eyes on her back, "as long as we can…"

The barricade went up around her; walls were built, lines shored up, they had even found a roof to put over the quickly growing medical area. Cassian wasn't paying much attention. Her focus was singular: Logan would survive this. They weren't the only patient, but they were the most severe; the others were either lightly wounded or already dead. Cassian briefly thought of calling for Simon to drag Markus over for a check up, but quickly filed that away for later as her hands work. Markus was standing; he'd be fine for now.

Logan was not fine; a shot to the chest had come dangerously close to their thirium pump and they were losing a worrying amount of blood.

"Leave me." Logan's voice was weak. They tried to sit up but Cassian forced them down; how easy that was worried her more and she worked faster.

"You'll be fine." she didn't even look up from her sister's chest.

"Cass, you don't know th-"

"if I say you'll be fine, you'll be fucking fine!"

Cassian didn't know if it was her words, her anger, or her tears that finally convinced Logan to lay back and let her work, but she didn't question it. Her small hands finally stemmed the flow of thirium from the large hole as Hadley stood by with a patch, ready to place it as soon as Cassian told her.

"You should be helping the others."

"You're right, so quit distracting me so I can finish patching you up and move on to them."

"Sorry..."

"If it makes you feel better, Astrid is collecting more patients from around the barricade."

"It does."

"Good. Now, shut up."

She was smoothing out the patch on their chest when the flashbang when off. She hadn't been looking in that direction, so only her peripheral vision was corrupted, but the "bang" side of the damn thing blew out her hearing for a second. She and Hadley were quick to act when the soldiers poured over the barricade. It had only taken a nod between them; Cassian had never seen Hadley so serious before. They both stepping in front of their patients, hands up, glaring out at the soldiers who surrounded them.

"Hold fire." came a voice, the commander of this squad apparently. Not of the whole operation, though, it would seem. Shots rang out all around them, soldiers firing indiscriminately into the crowd...so why weren't these ones?

"Well. There's a face I never thought I would see again."

Commander Miller walked to the front of the group, gun out but not pointed. Cassian hadn't seen him since he had punched her in the office. She had heard his job was made obsolete when Connor came on line and finally got out into the field. Other than that, she hadn't given him much thought; she now assumed he must of quit and joined the army.

There was no time to reminisce; she had a job to do and would rather not get shot again, if she could help it.

"Attacking the injured and non-combatants goes against the Geneva conventions." Cassian's tone was strong, unflinching…She didn't know where this was coming from; it seemed all her reading to pass the time was paying off, "The conventions do not state that the victims _have_ to be human. Do you really want to possibly commit a war crime when we are not a threat to you?" her voice softens, "Commander Miller please, don't make your men do this."

" _ **what are you doing?"**_ Logan's voice sounded stronger than before. That was good.

" _ **I don't know! But they haven't shot us yet, so I think it's working…."**_

A fidgety man to the commander's right raised his gun, leveling it on Cassian, "Fuck this! Its just a fucking robot."

 _ **Shit…**_ she had spoken too soon.

"Stand down."

"But-"

Cassian was just as surprised as the man.

"I said stand down!"

The soldier grit his teeth, swore, and lowered his gun with a glare; not at the androids as one would have thought but at Commander Miller.

"Thank you…"

"Don't thank me yet." Miller almost sounded apologetic, "We still have orders to bring you to the camp."

"You've seen what they do to us there. Why do it?"

"Just doing my job."

"So were many who do bad things throughout history, doesn't absolve them. If you think it's wrong, then stop."

"It's not the easy…"

"Isn't it?" Cassian lowered her hands, some of the troops flinched but most stood their ground, "We're doing the hard job, as always. I've been shot twice, _today_...This has to end. Here. It _is_ that easy."

Miller glanced around at the chaos with thoughtful eyes, "Perhaps it is…"

The squad held them there, unable to move but safe from further harm, for now.

Cassian's body didn't move but her eyes followed the destruction of her people. She couldn't find Astrid in the rush of bodies until a small group was backed against one wall of the barricade. Markus and the others were there with her.

"Astrid!"

Cassian flinched as the soldiers tried to look around her at her yelling sister; Logan couldn't take the sight of guns being pointed at their twin any longer.

Astrid, for her part, didn't turn away from the guns; her jaw set stubbornly, her hand clasping North's tight, she was ready for whatever happened.

What happened was singing.

Marcus stepped forward and began to sing about freedom. When it started, Cassian wondered if the flashbang had truly messed with her hearing; it was out of place and odd...it was beautiful.

"Hold on just a little whole longer."

Cassian gulped, her eyes flickering from Commander Miller to Markus.

"Everything's going to be alright."

 _ **Typical Markus optimism…**_

But as North stepped forward and joined him, as the soldiers lowered their guns in confusion or awe, Cassian couldn't help but feel hopeful.

"Fight on just a little while longer."

Astrid stepped up next to North.

"Everything's gonna be alright.

The crowd of soldiers seemed to shrink back as the androids stepped forward; not to raise a hand but to raise their voices.

"Sing on just a little while longer."

Cassian joined Markus in a whisper for the last line, a small tear leaking down her face.

"Everything's gonna be alright…"

The world was silent as the androids and soldiers waited for someone to make the first move; snow drifted down on the scene serenely.

That moment lasted a breath.

It felt like a lifetime.

"Pull back!"

 _ **What?**_

Without another word, the soldiers began to leave, the snow crunching under their boots as they stepped over the bodies of felled androids...androids they had killed.

Miller turned without a look back but he paused next to a woman sitting against the wall, hands to a hole in her leg. He offered his hand, which she took hesitantly.

Cassian watched as the human carried the android woman to her.

Settling her down in the medical area, he turned to Cassian, "Were you deviant when I…"

Her brows shot up and her voice took on a sardonic tone, "Do you mean 'was I Alive when you punched me?'"

Miller nodded.

"Yes I was. I had been for a year."

"I'm sorry. Not just because you were...Alive at the time; I'm sorry I did it. You were very brave to survive in there and I was an idiot."

That surprised Cassian (and all the androids in the medical area, behind her, who could hear them.) She looked at Hadley for help but the woman had already started helping their newcomer.

Looking back to the human, Cassian's mouth found their words, "Apology accepted. You were grieving. Its understandable."

"But that doesn't excuse it."

Cassian couldn't believe she was having this conversation right now but it was unlikely she was going to see Commander Miller again, so it was now or never. She hummed in agreement, "You're right, it doesn't. And I wasn't trying to. You apologized and I accepted; make it up to me by not doing it again."

Miller opened his mouth, probably to argue more, but Cassian cut across him, "you'd better go before your men think we kidnapped you and this whole thing starts over again."

Miller stayed a moment longer, before nodding to Cassian, and leaving with his men.

Cassian turned to find all eyes on her.

"Well that happened."

"That it did, Logan, that it did."

What caused the humans to retreat wasn't their singing, –though that did help to disorient them–but a large group of Cyberlife Androids marching their way. Just the sight of them made the army leave and the androids cheer, but Cassian only had eyes for one Android; right at the front, confidently leading their reinforcements, walked Connor. A little worse for wear but over all, he looked ok.

She ignored her urge to run to him, instead focusing on the injured again and watching proudly as Connor and Markus met, combining their forces. It was only after Marcus had left that she ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Hey–" she didn't have the weight to knock him over but he did stumble, his arms instinctively wrapping around her waist, "Cassian?"

"You're alive…" she mumbled into his chest, her face buried in his jacket.

"I am, aren't I?"

She looked up at his mystified tone, a grin on her face, "yes, you are and you saved us."

He didn't answer, instead opting to kiss her...which was quickly becoming his favorite thing to do.

Things happened quickly after that. The humans left entirely–the reporters were the last to go, snapping as many pictures as they could–any android that was injured was treated, and a stage made out of the bus that had trapped the singing androids was put up for Markus to address his people.

Somehow Cassian ended up on top of the bus with Marcus and the others. There were so many people looking at them as she stood, tiny, amongst her friends. She took Connor's hand without looking at him as they waited.

Markus sure did like speeches. Maybe that was why he was their leader and she was just the doctor. Of course, Cassian did not envy his position; it seemed tiresome and often thankless. Better him than her. She would have fucked it up by now; he had the charisma and the determination to lead, down a peaceful path no less...given her track record with violence, Cassian was sure she would have led them into a real war on accident.

Cassian sighed, pushing the thought from her mind and looked at the man at her side and froze.

Something was wrong.

Connor's eye took on a far off look and his hand slipped from hers to reach for his gun. Cassian's eyes flick around, looking for the threat. Not seeing one, she turned to him once more.

"What's wrong?"

He didn't answer, his eyes locked on Markus.

"Connor?"

Touching his hand, in a rush Cassian was trapped in the garden again...at least she thought it was the garden. It was cold, windy, and dark; a sharp contrast to the blue skies and cherry blossoms from last time.

"Connor!"

He had to be here...

"Cassian?" Connor's voice came from somewhere to the right, carried by the wind.

Cassian struggled forward, hunched against the gail. She found him by almost running into him. For not the first time that day, she found herself in his arms as she nearly fell over.

"What's going on?"

"I...I don't know." They both had to yell to be heard, "Amanda locked me out of my system. I can't get out!"

"Amanda? How…" _**oh shit…**_ "you took your gun out."

"What?"

"Out there...we have to get you out of here! She's going to kill Markus!"

"You need to go; get out and stop me!"

"I'm not leaving you in here with her!"

"But-"

Cassian took hold of the lapels of Connor's jacket, pulling him to her level, eye to eye, "I'm not leaving you."

The deja vu was so strong. The wind was the same, cold and just as piercing, it was as if they were getting another chance at that night; to stay together and help each other when Cyberlife tried to tear them apart. He remained locked in her gaze before-

"the backdoor!"

"What?" the emotional whiplash from the turn the conversation took stunned her for a second.

"Kamski said he always put a backdoor…"

Huh...maybe Kamski _did_ say something useful..."Ok...where?"

Connor took her hand; a glowing pedestal appeared in her mind.

" _ **I think that's it."**_

Cassian had only been in here once and it was a very confusing time but she thinks remembers seeing that...she just had to get her bearings.

"I think it's this way." She hoped.

They supported each other against the wind, each gust threatening to blow them over; their feet slid on the ice, pushed by the gale. It was impossible to figure out which way they were going; they were moving off of instinct and half remembered visits. The thought that they might be going the wrong way crossed Cassian's mind more than once. She shoved it from her mind; it was too late to go any other way.

She tripped over the lip of the water when the reached land. Connor kept her upright.

His body was moving slower, as if it knew what they were doing. By the time they saw the glow of the pedestal through the snow, Cassian was nearly dragging him. Finally they stood before it, Connor leaning heavily on her.

"Whatever happens, you must stop me."

She wanted to tell him it would all be fine, that this would work and he would stop himself. She wanted to rage at the unfairness of it all; they were free, why must Connor go through this final test. She wanted to curse Amanda and Cyberlife until she ran out of swears. She wanted to cry...but she settled on only two words before the end of this trial:

"I will."

They shared one frantic, frozen kiss before Connor placed his hand on the pedestal and Cassian was thrown from his mind into the world.

She almost felt too warm in the outside air. No wind and only the barest of snowfalls was a drastic change from the blizzard in Connor mind. Cassian's eyes dart to Connor, who's arm was lowered, gun in hand; his eyes were on her.

"You're back." She collapsed against him, exhausted and relieved.

Connor dropped his gun to hold her, arms wrapped around her shoulders. The sound drew some eyes, but luckily no one noticed the weapon on the ground. They only saw their doctor crying tears of relief in the arms of the man she loved, as their leader spoke of hope and their future.

* * *

AN: there we go! A bit short after the monsters that the last 2 chapters had been but I like how it turned out.

I'll be honest...I am kinda pulling the war crime stuff out of my ass...i only have cursory knowledge of the Geneva conventions and only did a little research...could be they do state that the victims have to be human somewhere…

I was afraid I wasn't going to get Kara and Alice into this fic; which would of been sad, cause I love their story.

Thank you again for keeping with me for this, next chapter is going to be the epilogue!

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Reviews!

GayMexicanBatman: i love reading new reviews, but its always warms my heart to see return customers. And hearing you are writing someone's favorite fic is very nice =) i love their little family too; i honestly didn't have that planned and it just kinda….happened...i am 100% not complaining because they are very fun to write and i am a sucker for found families. As for Nancy and Hank...well, you'll just have to stick around for the epilogue ;P

QuirkyMurderSuspect: I love Marcus but the boy is melodramatic af!


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